A Michigan woman was accused of drunk driving after an accident in Kalamazoo that caused a gas leak on Aug. 14. Following the crash, the woman was taken into custody and charged for leaving the scene of an accident and drinking and driving.
A report from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety revealed that the accident took place at about 1 a.m. at the corner of Vine Avenue and Rose Street. The accused woman apparently damaged an apartment’s gas line when she crashed her vehicle into a gas meter. She then allegedly fled the scene of the accident before police officers determined her location and detained her soon afterwards.
Police officers who were called to the residence after the crash reportedly evacuated the home due to concerns about the shutoff valve possibly being damaged. When officers determined that the valve was intact, the gas was turned off immediately, and the evacuation ended.
Individuals involved in a similar scenario may do well to secure strong legal counsel. In some cases, a criminal defense lawyer may be able to help an accused driver to dispute a DUI charge by calling into question the testing methods used by police at the scene. If a field sobriety test was performed, for instance, but a chemical test was not, a lawyer may argue that no real scientific evidence of the driver’s level of intoxication exists since field sobriety tests may be prone to error, particularly if an individual has a medical condition affecting his or her balance.
Even breath tests are not infallible; conditions like diabetes-induced hypoglycemia can yield false positive results on a Breathalyzer test. A lawyer could also make sure that officers followed proper procedures while taking a person accused of DUI into custody. Such avenues could potentially weaken the prosecution’s case and result in reduced charges or an acquittal.
Source: WOOD TV, “Alleged drunk driver crashes into home causing gas leak”, August 14, 2014
Source: WOOD TV, “Alleged drunk driver crashes into home causing gas leak”, August 14, 2014
