Police: Other driver in Rep. Womble wreck was drunk

The second driver in a head-on collision last month that critically injured state Rep. Larry Womble had almost four times the alcohol in his system at which drivers are considered impaired, police said Wednesday.

Womble, D-Forsyth, and David Allen Carmichael collided on Reynolds Park Road on Dec. 2. Carmichael, 54, of 2767 Reynolds Park Road, was killed in the wreck.

Toxicology tests showed that Carmichael's blood-alcohol content was 0.29, police said. Under North Carolina law, a driver is considered impaired with a 0.08 blood-alcohol content.

Blood tests on Womble showed no intoxicants in his system, police said.

Police still haven't determined who was at fault in the wreck, which remains under investigation.

Womble has undergone at least two surgeries since the crash and is still recovering.

He has represented Forsyth County in the General Assembly since 1995. Before that, the retired teacher and principal served on the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen from 1981 to 1993.

During his nine terms in the legislature, Womble has advocated for compensation for victims of the state's eugenics program during the 20th century. He also was the primary sponsor of the Racial Justice Act, which allows death row inmates to use racial statistics to show bias in sentencing.