Driver in crash that left girl in coma is charged with DUI

By CHRIS TISCH

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 9, 2001

The motorist accused of hitting the car of Largo High School student Angela Bernardini, who has been in a coma since the Jan. 12 crash, has been charged with drunken driving.

Robert Lee Knowles ran a red light and was driving without a license when the crash happened on Missouri Avenue and Belleair Road in Clearwater, police said.

After a test showed that Knowles had a blood-alcohol level of 0.13, authorities charged him with two counts of DUI with serious injury in addition to the other charges. He was being held Wednesday at the Pinellas County Jail on $118,500 bail.

Knowles was charged Jan. 29 after police consulted with the State Attorney's Office, said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor.

Though loved ones hope that Angela, 17, will fully recover, doctors who have treated her at Bayfront Medical Center say she may never be able to feed or dress herself again, said Debra Strange, the mother of Angela's fiance. Tests show that Angela's brain was injured, Strange said.

Angela appeared to make a tremendous leap in progress Friday, when she opened her eyes, responded to commands and smiled.

"I asked if she could see me and if she could stick out her tongue," said her mother, Tina Pellegrino. "And she did."

Friends have set up a fund to help Pellegrino with bills while she stays by Angela. She has not worked since the crash.

A fundraiser has been tentatively planned for Feb. 25 at the Drew Street Station, a Clearwater sports bar and restaurant at 1717 Drew St.

Donations welcome

Anyone wishing to help Angela Bernardini's mother, Tina Pellegrino, with expenses can make donations at local First Union bank branches. Just ask to make a donation in either Angela's name or her mother's. People wanting to donate also can send checks to Largo High School, 410 Missouri Ave., Largo, FL 33770, Attn.: Lydia Harless.

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