Greene County prosecutors have charged a Springfield man in connection with the Dec. 10 death of a person struck by a car and killed on West Chestnut Expressway, alleging the driver was under the influence of marijuana.
David R. Busick, 66, has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated, causing the death of another, a Class B felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison.
Police say Busick ran into Matthew Wood, 43, as Wood and another man walked across West Chestnut Expressway at 6:20 p.m., near North Eldon Avenue, west of the West Bypass Highway.
Wood died later that night at a local hospital.
According to court documents, two police officers who happened to be nearby saw what happened.
Busick told an investigating officer he had not been drinking but had been smoking marijuana earlier in the day, according to court documents.
Busick told the officer he has a valid medical marijuana card, which he does, according to court documents.
According to laws regarding medical marijuana in Missouri, a medical marijuana identification card does not offer protection from laws pertaining to operating a vehicle while under the influence.
The arresting officer reported the following, according to court documents:
“During my interaction with Busick, I observed his eyes to be bloodshot, glassy, and staring. I observed Busick's balance to be swaying, staggering, and stumbling, and his speech to be slurred and mumbling.”
The officer said he noted signs of impairment as Busick under went a series of field sobriety tests, according to court documents.
The officer reported that Busick is blind in his left eye and wrote that it “should also be noted the poor weather conditions of wet pavement and heavy winds at the time.”
A second charge was filed, too, that of operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner involving an accident. This is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.
