DUI Issued to Orlando Driver Who Collided with Utility Pole

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on July 23, 2018

It was very early in the morning on Sunday, July 15th, that a 36-year-old woman began drinking bloody marys at a bar in downtown Orlando called Tanqueray’s. The tradition of drinking bloody marys at breakfast, while not an unusual practice, is also one whose responsibility is somewhat questionable given the fact that many people still need to climb into their cars after the consumption of the drink. This past Sunday, the case was somewhat altered as it appears that the beverages were purchased and imbibed sometime before midnight and 3:00 in the morning—well before breakfast. After the 36-year-old finished the last of her four bloody marys, she and an unnamed passenger climbed into her GMC Yukon and began to head off towards an unknown location.

It was close to 3:30 in the morning when the driver neared North Forest Avenue and Virginia Drive. It is not clear exactly what happened, but the driver of the GMC seemingly lost control of her vehicle, left the roadway, and collided with a utility pole located near the street.

Police and other emergency response vehicles arrived at the Orlando location shortly after it occurred and were told by the car’s passenger that the driver had consumed numerous alcoholic drinks. Officers also noted that the 36-year-old’s speech was slurred and that a strong odor of alcohol came off of her body. Despite the passenger’s claims to the contrary, the driver told officers that she’d only partaken of two bloody marys.

Regardless of her claims, the officers with the Orlando Police Department requested that she undergo several field sobriety tests. Due to the results of these tests, OPD officers arrested the woman and charged her with a DUI. Later, it was released that her BAC level was taken and registered at 0.134, which is just below double the legal limit.

Although it is not believed that the car’s driver or her passenger were injured in the crash, the damage done to the utility pole was extraordinary, and authorities with the Orlando utilities Commission estimated that around 1,100 homes lost power as a result of the incident. While most of these people were only without power for several hours, close to 400 homes did not get their power restored until shortly before 2:00 in the afternoon.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.