A Dowagiac woman was arrested Friday on suspicions of striking an elderly man with her vehicle while intoxicated, according to officials with the Dowagiac Police Department.

The accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on South Lowe Street, near Hendryx Street, police said.

The 31-year-old woman in custody, is suspected of striking the victim, a 72-year-old Dowagiac man, while attempting to pass a vehicle stopped on the northbound lane of Lowe Street. The victim, who lived a short distance away from the site of the crash, was talking with the driver of the stopped vehicle at the time of the accident.

“The victim was cutting the grass when the other driver came by,” said Dowagiac Director of Public Safety Steven Grinnewald. “It was someone he [the victim] knew, so he went up to the car to talk to him.”

The suspect was traveling north on Lowe Street at the time, and attempted to pass by the parked vehicle by swerving onto the southbound lane. However, the victim moved into the southbound lane and was struck in the process by the other driver, and collided with the front windshield and tumbled to the ground.

The woman stopped after striking the man, and was interviewed by police at the scene of the crash.

“When the officer was talking to her, he could smell the odor of intoxicants on her breath, so they placed her under arrest,” Grinnewald said. “A blood test was conducted on her after her arrest, but we do not have the results back from that. We probably won’t have them for another two or three weeks.”

The victim suffered several injuries in the collision, including two broken legs as well as damage to his head, though none of the wounds were life threatening. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

The suspect in the case was lodged at Cass County Jail. Authorities are withholding her name until her arraignment in county court, which is expected to take place Tuesday afternoon.

Officers with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office accident investigation team and those with the Pokagon Tribal and Silver Creek Township police departments assisted Dowagiac officers at the scene. Crews with the Dowagiac Fire Department and Pride Care EMS also helped.