Florida man charged in drunk driving accident

A 20-year-old Florida man has been charged in connection a serious car accident that left two people seriously injured. He was detained without bond, charged with leaving the scene of an accident and two counts of DUI causing serious injury to another person. The man was previously accused leaving the scene of a different accident and driving without a legal driver's license, though it is not clear whether those charges resulted in convictions.

The serious car accident at the center of the case occurred when a gold SUV struck two vehicles, severely injured two motorists, then departed from the crash site without stopping. Both victims were transported to medical care facility to receive treatment for their injuries. Their current medical conditions are not known, as that information was made unavailable to the public.

Several hours after the accident, police stopped a gold SUV matching the description of the vehicle involved in the crash. When officers approached the vehicle, they allegedly noticed two partially-full beer cans and smelled alcohol. The suspect reportedly told an officer he had consumed 10 beers when asked. When officers asked the suspect to complete a sobriety test, the man repeatedly claimed he did not understand English, but then told the officers he was intoxicated several times in both Spanish and English. Police claim the suspect was too drunk to even sign his traffic citations. He also reportedly failed to produce a driver's license and proof of insurance for his vehicle.

While it is unclear whether the suspect eventually underwent a breathalyzer test, police reported his blood alcohol to be over twice that of Florida's legal limit. At his arraignment, a judge told the suspect that he "represent[s] a danger to the community" in the eyes of the court, especially given his previous arrests for similar offenses.

Source: Sun-Sentinel, "Hallandale man held in drunken driving crash that injured 2," Juan Ortega, Sept. 25, 2012