A woman driving on the wrong side of State Road 408 in Florida crashed into another vehicle injuring the victim and wrecking the victim’s car. According to police, the 22-year-old woman from Casselberry was drunk at the time she caused the car accident.
The female driver was traveling down the wrong way of the highway after midnight. A police officer spotted her driving erratically just before her vehicle hit another vehicle. The crash sent the other car up a guardrail, causing it to flip on to its side. The vehicle was seriously damaged and the driver suffered minor injuries.
An officer approached the driver’s vehicle and reported a strong smell of alcohol that overwhelmed her. The driver revealed to the officer she had come from a new bar.
According to the officer’s report, although the drunk driver knew she was going down the highway the wrong way, she says she did not know how she had gotten there. The report further indicated slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. She then refused to get out of her vehicle twice.
Eventually, the officer was able to administer field sobriety tests. The woman was reportedly argumentative and failed the tests she was given. After being arrested, she was brought to the DUI testing center where it was confirmed that she was legally intoxicated. Her blood-alcohol level was about 0.212, which is more than twice the legal limit.
Over 1,500 urban Florida families lose a loved one every year in a car accident. The drunk driver in this case put not only her life in jeopardy, but also all the lives of the innocent people on the road that night. While no serious injuries were reported, the woman who was hit by the drunk driver did sustain injuries and serious damage to her car. In other negligent and reckless driving accidents, the guilty party may be held liable for any damage resulting from the dangerous driving.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, “Wrong-way driver who caused S.R. 408 crash was drunk, cops say,” Arelis R. Hernandez, Jan. 11, 2012
