No one wants to hurt another person. Sometimes, accidents happen. You may not have realized how much you had to drink before driving, or perhaps you tested your breath and were under the limit before you got behind the wheel. Every case is different, but when lives are lost, the trouble you could face increases tenfold.
Take for instance this case. A DUI suspect has admitted that he drank two cups of whiskey and cranberry juice mixed just a few hours before he was involved in a fatal collision. According to the story, the 22-year-old man from West Palm Beach may have been involved in a street race when he crashed a 2012 Hyundai into a woman’s vehicle.
The man had been traveling at around 67 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to the Palm Beach County’s Sheriff’s Office’s investigation. Up until now, the man had faced no charges, but after months of investigation, the man was arrested for DUI causing or contributing to an injury, DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. His bond was set at $17,000, and he is not allowed to have contact with the victim’s family or his own family. He is not allowed to be in possession of drugs or alcohol and is unable to drive presently.
The original story claimed that the man got into his vehicle and was traveling on State Road 7 when he collided with the other vehicle at 11:30 p.m. The woman’s vehicle had been traveling the same direction when the crash took place. Both the 22-year-old man and a passenger in the other vehicle had to be taken to the hospital. He admitted that he’d been speeding and, although he refused to give a blood sample, a statutory blood draw revealed that his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was approximately .137 percent, well above the legal limit of .08.
Police can advise that you admit to wrongdoing, especially if an attorney isn’t representing you yet. Know your rights before you speak to police.
Source: Palm Beach Post, “NEW: DUI suspect said he drank whiskey prior to fatal Greenacres crash,” Julius Whigham, Nov. 29, 2017