Man Gets Fished Out of a Lake, Then Charged with DWI

 Posted on September 09, 2020 in Uncategorized

Certainly no one wants their night to end being arrested by Highway Patrol officers while their car sinks to the bottom of a lake. That's exactly what happened recently to a man in Wisconsin.

Highway Patrol officers began following him after numerous other drivers called in reports that he was driving erratically in his SUV. With officers watching, he hit a barrier wall, a signpost, and left the roadway several times, before finally plummeting off an interstate bridge and down a 100-foot embankment before landing in the lake.

Fortunately, the driver was able to escape and swim away from the SUV as it sank. A patrol officer on the scene commandeered a kayak and a flotation device from a bystander and paddled out to pull the driver to safety. However, while checking to see if the driver was injured, the officer noted signed for impairment. The driver was taken to an area hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and then given a blood test to determine if he had been drinking. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI).

A police dive team made sure that there had been no passengers in the vehicle and they assisted in the vehicle recovery. The police response and vehicle towing caused one lane of the interstate to be closed for several hours.

Arrested After an Accident

No doubt, the man was shaken by the events of the evening and everyone, officers included, was glad that the accident ended with him safe and alive. For the man, however, the drama of the day was only phase one in the drama he's sure to experience in the coming weeks and months.

In the state of Texas, a person is legally intoxicated and may be arrested and charged with DWI when their Blood or Breath Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is measured at.08 or higher.

When someone is involved in an accident, whether alone or with another driver, and they are also intoxicated, they can expect to face charges for DWI. However, even in an instance as dramatic as the man in Wisconsin experienced, an experienced attorney like Doug Murphy can help lessen the impact of the charges.

Similar Accidents in Texas

Drivers in Texas have experienced similar incidents to the man in Wisconsin. In 2017, a man in Arlington led police on a high-speed chase before intentionally driving his vehicle into Lake Arlington in an attempt to avoid arrest. The driver had already struck another motorist's car twice. After submerging his vehicle in the lake, the man attempted to swim away from officers, but eventually gave up and swam back to shore, where officers arrested him and charged him with driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, evading arrest/detention in a vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance, accident hit and run and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In 2016, a woman in Austin drove her vehicle into Lady Bird Lake. She was pulled out of her car by a pedestrian and arrested by police and charged with DWI.

Get the Help You Need

An accident and rescue while intoxicated can potentially lead to additional charges over and above DWI. Having an accident and being rescued certainly does not decrease a driver's chances of being charged with DWI.

If you have been charged with DWI, whether or not you were in an accident and rescued, you need a lawyer who specializes in Texas DWI law. Contact Board Certified DWI Specialist Doug Murphy today and let us help you put your life back together.