Pownal resident Joseph Walsh was taken into custody by the Vermont State Police on a warrant after allegedly crashing his vehicle and fleeing the scene, where a passenger sustained severe injuries—paralyzed from the neck down, nearly decapitated, and reliant on a ventilator.
Walsh, 56, was arraigned at Rutland’s Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, where he is currently held without bail. As reported by The Bennington Banner, he faces two felony charges and three misdemeanors, including hit-and-run causing serious injury, reckless driving, gross negligence resulting in serious harm, reckless endangerment, and driving while suspended.
Walsh Arrested at Bennington Motel
According to a press release from the Vermont State Police, Walsh was arrested at the Best Western Motel in Bennington after nearly a month fleeing following the accident. He also had two other active warrants from separate cases.
An affidavit states that on January 7, 2026, police responded to a single-vehicle accident with entrapment on Burrington Road in Pownal. They discovered a 1994 Toyota Camry crashed into a large tree, with a woman in the passenger seat seriously hurt. The driver was not present at the scene.
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Woman Taken to Hospital for Emergency Medical Care
Emergency responders rescued the woman, who was first taken to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and then transferred to Albany Med for urgent care. Although police searched the area, they couldn’t find the driver until a tip led to Walsh’s arrest in Bennington nearly a month later…