PD: Driver Without Insurance Crashes into Port Resident's Fence

A Port Washington woman who's been caught driving without motor vehicle insurance recently apparently didn't learn her lesson — but she's learning it again.

The 30-year-old crashed into a Port resident's yard on Jan. 6, damaging the fence and getting stuck in the snow. What's worse? She left the vehicle behind for several hours.

Port Washington police received a call at 11 a.m. Jan. 6 from the woman, who said she had been trying to get her car out of the snow for about an hour, but had to leave to get to work, the report said. The woman had thought she was stuck in the resident's driveway.

Upon arrival at the home in the 1000 block of Grand Avenue, officers noticed tire tracks showing that "the vehicle left the roadway, jumping the curb, crashing through a wooden fence," the report said. "It traveled 120 feet into  (the) backyard, ripping up the yard in an attempt to get out from different locations."

By the time the officers arrived, the homeowners were home, the report said. They did not see the accident occur, meaning it likely happened more than an hour prior.

In later speaking with the driver, police learned that the crash occurred closer to 5 a.m. Jan. 6., according to reports. She was driving eastbound on Grand Avenue when she decided to turn around and go the other way.

In turning around, the driver believed she had found a driveway — but instead crashed through the snow bank, the report said. The vehicle was stuck, and the driver attempted to back out to no avail.

Desperate, the driver attempted to drive forward to get unstuck — but ended up driving down a hill in the yard, and into the fence at the address, she told police in the reports.

The woman said she did not contact police about the accident because she "freaked out and had to get to work."

She also said that she did not think she had caused any damage, the report said. She was cited for failure to notify police of an accident and damage to private property.

Police asked for her insurance information to provide to the homeowner; the woman does not have motor vehicle insurance, and was cited for this as well. The woman had also been cited for not having insurance in October after receiving a speeding ticket.

The woman will owe a total of $625.50 for the citations.