Mark Gilliland, the plastic surgeon on trial for the hit-and-run accident last year that left two visiting Englishwomen seriously injured, testified today, saying he was intoxicated the night of the accident but that his drinking didn't have anything to do with hitting the women. Gilliland said he had had one and a half glasses of wine and two martinis at dinner March 9, 2005, and he felt the effects of the drinks when he got behind the wheel to return home to his condo at The Houstonian. As he drove through the intersection of Sage and Hidalgo, Gilliland said he heard a noise but didn't see the women and didn't stop to investigate because he had been the victim of a "bump and rob" incident 10 years ago.
"My instincts told me to leave, that I was under attack," Gilliland said.He added that he didn't stop at a nearby fire station because, "I wasn't on fire."
The accident sent the two women, Joanna Moore and Amanda Holland, flying through the air and smashed Gilliland's windshield (which apparently didn't faze him either). Gilliland was stopped by an off-duty police officer as he tried to pull into The Houstonian's parking garage; the officer didn't know anything about the accident, but saw Gilliland driving erratically and noticed the smashed windshield on his Mercedes SL500.
Gilliland said today he doesn't think he would have seen Moore and Holland even if he hadn't had any drinks at dinner, but he did admit that he's had problems with drinking — he said he sought treatment at the Menninger Clinic, an alcohol treatment facility, but was kicked out; he also got treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic after the accident. (Gilliland also told jurors he's working on a book about plastic surgery that will be dedicated to Moore and Holland, which we're sure delights them.)
Though Gilliland's lawyer has said the accident was Moore and Holland's fault because they looked the wrong way before stepping into the street, several witnesses have testified Gilliland was driving fast and sped through a red light at Sage and Hidalgo, where the accident occurred. When the police officer pulled Gilliland over and asked him about the damage to his windshield, which was obviously fresh — pieces of broken glass were all over the inside of the car — Gilliland told him the windshield had been broken days before and he had been too busy to report the damage. If he's convicted, Gilliland could face 10 years in prison.
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