Woman arrested after Florida crash seriously injures Bayfield motorcyclist

According to Durango police, the driver turned herself in on Thursday evening

The driver who struck 34-year-old motorcyclist Otter Sliter of Bayfield was arrested on assault charges Thursday. Durango police said Inez Jernberg-Feely was driving east on Florida Road when she crossed into the oncoming lane and struck Sliter. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

The driver who allegedly struck a Bayfield motorcyclist with his car on August 16 was arrested Thursday evening on charges of assault with a vehicle.

The driver, identified as 46-year-old Inez Jernberg-Feely, was traveling eastbound on 1500 Street at Florida Road when she crossed into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with 34-year-old Otter Sliter on his motorcycle.

After hitting the motorcyclist, her vehicle left the road and struck two other unoccupied vehicles before coming to a stop.

Durango police responded to the 911 call just before midnight on August 16, and Sliter was flown by helicopter to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood with serious injuries. Sliter's condition was stable on Sunday.

Jernberg-Feely was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. During transport, officers noticed she smelled of alcohol, DPD Commander Jacob Dunlop said. She also admitted to drinking alcohol earlier in the afternoon.

Durango police did not initially release Jernberg-Feely's identity because they did not officially arrest her on the scene. Police were waiting for the results of a blood test to make an official arrest.

However, due to the severity of Sliter's injuries, the DPD wanted to file charges quickly.

Based on the investigations on site, the DPD came to the conclusion that there was sufficient suspicion to arrest Jernberg-Feely. Jernberg-Feely officially turned himself in on Thursday evening.

Dunlop said one of the reasons Durango police did not make an official arrest sooner, despite suspicions of alcohol consumption, was because DPD wanted Jernberg-Feely to receive medical attention for her injuries.

Jernberg-Feely was charged with assault with a vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to maintain lanes of travel.

Sliter was set to marry his fiancée, Meridith Rich, this past weekend, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Sliter pay his medical bills. As of Sunday, the page has raised just over $27,000.

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