She was driving drunk at twice the legal limit — and a toddler was unbuckled, police say

A Boynton Beach, Florida, woman has been arrested and charged with child abuse and driving under the influence after she allegedly failed sobriety tests.

Brandy Lerma, 31, was stopped Saturday afternoon in Palm Beach county after a tow truck driver claimed to observe her weaving across the road.

The driver, Juan Martinez, told police that Lerma nearly hit four different cars and appeared to be under the influence. When she was pulled over, police say they smelled alcohol in the car, and that Lerma had slurred speech and could not find her license, despite it being in plain view of the officer who pulled her over, per CBS 12.

At the scene, police administered sobriety tests and Lerma fell twice. She later took a breathalyzer test and registered a blood alcohol content of .200 and .187, both more than twice the legal limit in Florida.

According to court records, Lerma also had a 3-year-old child in the backseat of her car who was not wearing restraints of any kind. Lerma reportedly told police she had taken prescription drugs and some alcoholic drinks before driving, police say.

According to jail records, Lerma has been released on $3,000 bond because of the child abuse charge, but has yet to appear in court.

In 2015, 209 children under the age of 15 died in car crashes where alcohol impaired the driver in the U.S. The majority of those deaths occurred when the child was the passenger in the car of the impaired driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

However, USA Today reported in 2016 that Florida was actually rated as one of the least dangerous states for drunken driving, tying with Indiana for second best in the country.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 7:48 PM with the headline "She was driving drunk at twice the legal limit — and a toddler was unbuckled, police say."