There is very little question that alcohol can negatively affect one’s thought process. This is one of the many reasons that drunk driving is dangerous and can and often does result in a serious car accident. However, every so often, we see a news article where a person alleged to be driving under the influence of alcohol goes a step above and beyond the norm, and their seemingly strange actions make national headlines.
To make matters worse, this was not the day his family member was getting out of jail. In fact, his family member was scheduled to be released the following day, but in his alleged drunken state, he lost track of what day it was and showed up very drunk. When officers noticed he appeared drunk, they asked him if had driven there, and he allegedly told them that he had.
At this point, they asked the man to take a breath test, and the results showed that he was four times the legal limit of 0.08. To put this into perspective, the legal limit is 0.08 gram of ethanol (drinking alcohol) per hundred milliliters of alcohol. After decades of testing and pouring over medical records, vehicle crash reports, and other records, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that at this level, a person will have difficulty concentrating, performing basic tasks, walking, and have trouble with gross and fine motor skills. According to that same research, at a blood alcohol score of around four times the legal limit, or 0.32, a person would be seeing double, have serious trouble making fine and gross movements, and is approaching respiratory failure and central nervous system issues. As our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers have seen in various cases over the years, there is no way a person can safely operate a vehicle at this level and is barely able to make coherent movements at this point in many cases.
It should be that that this was not the defendant’s first run-in with the law. Early the same month, he was driving his son to the same jail and was pulled over for speeding. He was then given a series of standardized field sobriety tests, and he was also arrested for drunk driving. In that case, he was alleged to be two times over the legal limit.
It is important to understand that, under our constitution, he is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in a court of law by a judge or jury.
If you or someone you love has been injured a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Drunken man arrested after driving himself to jail, deputies say, November 3, 2016, WPIX
More Blog Entries:
Bruins Star Ray Bourque Arrested for Drunk Driving After Car Accident, July 5, 2016, Boston Drunk Driving Injury Lawyer Blog