A parish priest allegedly tested positive for cocaine after swerving and smashing his car into a crash barrier.
Father Daniel Arturo Cárdenas destroyed the left side of his Toyota in the collision at around midnight on Sunday (10 Mar).
He managed to exit the car on his own and call for an ambulance.
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He was given first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital to receive stitches for a head wound.
He was lucky to escape without serious injury.
Police investigating the accident scene thought the priest had become distracted and that rain had made the four-lane road slippery.
But they were shocked when his routine blood tests and toxicological analyses at the hospital allegedly came back positive for cocaine.
It turned out the priest was said to have had more than three times the cut-off levels for cocaine in his system.
Highway police withdrew his driving licence and reported him to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sulmona, Italy, for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs.
He will likely go on trial or receive a community sentence, local media report.
Father Cárdenas, 50, is of Colombian origin and is the parish priest of Rivisondoli.
He was returning home from dinner with a colleague in Pratola when the accident happened.
It’s not the first time he’s crashed his car, local media report.
He was involved in a similar accident in Alto Sangro in October 2022.
On that occasion, he left his car at the scene because, he claimed, he had to conduct Mass and was running late.
The comms office of his diocese said in a statement: “The bishop and priests of the Diocese of Sulmona-Valva express their condolences for the incident involving Father Daniel.
“They stand by him, keeping him in their prayers during this difficult time, showing solidarity with the parish community, and closely monitoring the situation.”
He will likely face consequences within the church.
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