This Raleigh/Durham/Cary DUI/DWI attorney was in court recently and happened upon a case in which a DUI/DWI defendant (he was not my client) allegedly was arrested while driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.341% (more than four times the legal limit). I couldn’t help but wonder: is that some sort of a record? Suprisingly, no.
In November 2007, a woman in Oregaon was found passed out in her car by law enforcement officers. A blood test subsequently revealed her blood alcohol level to be 0.550%. She was charged with several offenses, including DUI/DWI, reckless endagerment of a person, criminal mischief and driving with a suspended license.
Later that same year, another Oregon woman (what’s with Oregon?) was found unconscious in her car after apparently striking a snow bank. After a police officer broke a car window to remove her and determined that she was in an alcohol induced-coma, she was taken to the hospital where blood tests revealed her blood alcohol level to be 0.720%. She was subsequently charged with D.U.I./D.W.I.
In December 2009, a South Dakota woman was found behind the wheel of a stolen car with a blood alcohol level of 0.708%. Incredibly, after being hositalized and released on bond she was found the following day in another stolen vehicle and, you guessed it, under the influence of alcohol.
Finally, in December 2004, a man was admitted to a hospital in Bulgaria after being struck by another car. After determining that the man was likely intoxicated, doctors at the hospital conducted a breath test which revealed the man’s blood alcohol level to be 0.914%!
Okay, I’m a little suspect of the 0.914% test results – but wow! You may also be surprised to hear that many of these individuals were charged with DUI/DWI even though they were not actually driving a vehicle at the time they were apprehended. North Carolina (and Raleigh/Durham/Cary) have some very specific laws on exactly that issue — more on that next time!
