KPIX (San Francisco, California) 03 January 05 Snake Played No Role In Fatal Rohnert Park Crash
Rohnert Park (BCN): Rohnert Park police have identified Margaret Ann Walters, 29, of Cotati, as the victim of a solo vehicle crash early on New Year's Day on Rohnert Park Expressway near the Rancho Verde Mobile Home Park.
Sgt. Art Sweeney said an open container of alcohol was found in Walter's 2001 Saab 900S vehicle and toxicology tests to determine if she was intoxicated are pending. Sweeney said Walters was returning home from a New Year's Eve party when the accident occurred at 3:10 a.m.
The vehicle crashed broadside into a grove of redwood trees in the center divide of the road, Rohnert Park police said.
Sweeney said Rohnert Park Public safety Sgt. Wulff Reinhold, who responded to the crash, got a surprise when he reached through a broken window of the car to check for a pulse on Walters' neck.
Sweeney said Reinhold noticed Walters' clothing "rustled'' and found a 3-feet long live boa constrictor that Walter's apparently wore as a fashion accessory.
Sweeney said the autopsy determined the snake played no role in the accident because there were no signs of strangulation.
Snake Played No Role In Fatal Rohnert Park Crash