WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A 36-year-old man has lost his legs and is recovering in the ICU after being struck by a drunk driver in Worcester. Late Sunday night, Andy Rodriguez was standing behind his parked vehicle on Vernon Street, unloading items from his trunk, when a driver veered out of the lane and pinned Rodriguez between the two cars.
The driver of the erratic vehicle has been identified as 22-year-old Jeffrey Pilco. Officers noticed a strong smell of alcohol on Pilco's breath while questioning him at the scene, and charged the Worcester man with Operating Under the Influence of Liquor and Causing Serious Injury. The crash was so forceful that Rodriguez' legs were amputated by the impact. Officers at the scene noted that there was "no evidence of braking."
A GoFundMe account has been setup in Rodriguez' name, with nearly half of the $50,000 goal reached at the time of publication.
Pilco is being held on $10,000 cash bail after his arraignment Monday. He his due back in court March 20th.