A driver in Connecticut was charged with DUI after the car she was driving careened into five different cars and a gas station. The driver, a 31-year-old Bridgeport woman, suffered minor injuries after her vehicle exited I-95. Her car collided with one vehicle on the off-ramp before hitting another car near the entrance of the convenience store parking lot. A local taxi at the gas pump was also struck.
Two more vehicles were then hit. The driver's vehicle then shot into the air and was stopped by a steel girder in front of the convenience store. When it finally landed, it was half in and half out of the store.
Three people were inside the last two vehicles -- a man and a mother with her baby. The father of the baby was inside the convenience store and the shock of the blast knocked him down. He ran to his vehicle and successfully helped the mother and her baby out of the vehicle before trying to pull out the driver who caused the accident.
The fire department's jaws of life were necessary to remove the driver. The Companies of the Fairfield Fire Department responded to the accident report. No life threatening injuries were reported, though three of the accident victims were taken to the hospital.
The gas station and the convenience store remained closed for hours following the accident, however they opened for customers the next day. The driver was charged with driving with a suspended license.
Drunk driving defense strategies can vary a great deal depending on the individual case and charge, and defendants do have a right to a qualified defense. If convicted, a defendant can face community service, prison time, a rehabilitation program or driving classes.
Source: Minuteman News Center, "Driver charged with DUI after car crashes into Fairfield gas station, injuring 4" Donna Saracco and Tom Henry, Mar. 25, 2014