Blood sample leads to DUI arrest in crash that injured man and toddler

A blood sample led to the arrest of a drunk driving suspect who caused a crash that injured a man traveling with a toddler.

Jessica Brianna Jackson, 29, of Ocklawaha, was arrested this week by Marion County sheriff’s deputies on warrants charging her with two counts of driving under the influence involving serious bodily injury, driving under the influence involving property damage and driving under the influence.

The warrants are the result of a crash which occurred May 25 in the area of County Road 314A and SE 137th Avenue Road in rural Marion County. Jackson had been driving a blue Toyota Corolla shortly before 10 p.m. that day when her vehicle collided head on with a GMC truck driven by a man traveling with a toddler, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

The man driving the pickup crawled out the driver’s side window of his truck to get to the two-year-old child, who had been properly restrained in a child seat. The pickup driver suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and broken hip. The child was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

Jackson told an investigator she did not remember what had happened. She said she had been at a restaurant having dinner with friends prior to the crash, which forced the deployment of airbags in her vehicle. Jackson was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center.

The FHP investigator went to the hospital, but found that Jackson had been sedated.

A subpoena was issued Oct. 10 seeking Jackson’s medical records. A blood sample taken that night revealed that she had a blood alcohol level .146.

Jackson remains free on $42,000 bond.