Police agencies around the state have launched numerous enforcement programs that nab drunk drivers. However, a large percentage of all traffic deaths in the state of Connecticut are still due to alcohol. Unfortunately there is always another drunk driver.
At 3:08 a.m., on Sunday, Oct. 27, police responded to a call that reported a vehicle had crashed into a building, breaking a glass window, and then drove onto the lawn of another business. The car had also hit a small tree and a road sign before stopping in the front yard of a nearby business. The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old woman, was found crying in the driver’s seat. She was slurring her words and officers could smell alcohol. The woman then apparently failed a series of field tests to determine whether she was under the influence of alcohol.
Due to the woman vomiting, several attempts at a breath test failed. The test was only successfully completed almost two hours later. At that time, the results showed her blood alcohol content to be more than double the legal limit for driving. She then admitted to police that she had been drinking at three different bars and could not remember the accidents.
The woman was released on bail and a court date was set. If successfully litigated in the Connecticut court, the alleged drunk driver can expect the imposition of punitive damages, in addition to any compensatory damages awarded. One always hopes that cases like this will emphasize the dangers of driving under the influence. Driving while intoxicated is not only dangerous; it is illegal and often has serious ramifications — both for the drunk driver and for others in or near the driver’s path.
Source: foxct.com, Woman Who Drove Into West Hartford Radio Shack Had BAC Twice The Legal Limit, Julie Stagis, Oct. 27, 2013
