State Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, accepted blame Friday for a minor vehicle accident that occurred when she reached for her cell phone while driving through Solano County to Marin.
Migden was driving her new state-issued 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV at 10:40 a.m. when she rear-ended a 2005 Honda sedan. The Honda was slowing behind a 2003 GMC Savana van that had stopped at a red light, said California Highway Patrol officer Marvin Williford. The accident occurred on Highway 12 at the intersection with Beck Avenue, near Fairfield.
Migden told CHP officers that she lost her way while driving to Marin for a noon meeting. Migden was scheduled to present a small business award to Fernando Quezada, the owner of a Canal neighborhood market, in San Rafael at 12:30 p.m.
Migden’s sobriety was verified by officers using a handheld breath-testing unit, even though there was nothing to indicate she had been drinking, Williford said.
“It was just a precaution,” he said.
The driver of the Honda – Ellen Butawan, 31, of Vallejo – suffered minor injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital. Migden was not hurt.
Williford said Migden, who appeared to have taken the wrong exit, was not cited because there was no witness to the accident.
Her SUV, which she recently swapped for her taxpayer-funded 2005 Cadillac STS, sustained a dented front grill that kept the hood from closing properly. It was towed to the Fairfield CHP office, where officers used a coat hanger and duct tape to secure it before Migden drove it away.
Migden declined an interview request. According to a written statement issued by her office, “Senator Migden’s cell phone rang and in reaching for the phone she took her eyes off the road.”
Migden last year voted for a new law that takes effect in July 2008 that will impose a minimum fine of $20 for anyone caught using a cell phone while driving without a headset, ear bud or other technology that frees both hands.
Contact Richard Halstead at rhalstead@marinij.com
