Ga. woman charged in crash that injured trooper

A Georgia woman accused of plowing into the cruiser of an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper and seriously injuring him has been charged with aggravated vehicular assault.

In addition to the fourth-degree felony, Alea C. Weil, 29, who court records indicate lives at an address in Atlanta, has also been charged in Franklin County Municipal Court with felonious possession of a controlled substance.

The charges stem from a Monday morning crash on Interstate 71 in southwestern Franklin County that left Trooper Adrian Wilson, 44, hospitalized with serious injuries.

In a complaint filed in municipal court, troopers accuse Weil of slamming her Toyota Rav4 into the back of Wilson’s marked patrol cruiser. Wilson, a trooper for 15 years, had been stopped on the side of the interstate to pick up some debris in the roadway at the time, and troopers allege that the impact of Weil’s vehicle sent his cruiser careening forward into him.

The overhead emergency flashing lights on Wilson’s cruiser were activated, the patrol has said.

Wilson was taken to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, and according to court documents, is suffering from a broken leg and a severe head injury. Weil was also being treated on Monday for serious injuries.

Witnesses claimed to have seen Weil driving erratically and crossing lanes prior to the crash while heading north on Interstate 71 near mile post 97, according to the court complaint. That area is near U.S. 62 in the Grove City area.

During the investigation, troopers reportedly recovered .0836 grams (equivalent to 86 milligrams) of fentanyl, which the complaint alleges was in plain view on the driver’s side floor. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, even two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage.

Weil is scheduled to make her first court appearance Wednesday morning. elagatta@dispatch.com @Ericlagatta