Trucker accused of DWI says he had medical event, was not impaired
A truck driver who was reportedly involved in an accident with a Durham, North Carolina, police officer is facing serious charges, including driving while impaired. After the truck accident, law enforcement noted that they thought the truck driver was showing signs of impairment. The truck driver and his criminal defense say that the man suffered a medical event before the traffic crash.
Police say that they found a blue capsule inside the trucker’s rig. Law enforcement took a blood sample to test the driver for alcohol or drugs. The trucker says that the capsule is a regular over-the-counter decongestant. Moreover, an analysis of the driver’s blood tested at Duke University Hospital after the crash reportedly turned up negative for drugs or alcohol.
News reports have broken that the truck driver told authorities after the crash that he could not remember where his truck had been loaded earlier in the day before the truck accident. Law enforcement claims the man could remember details of his trip on the day of the crash, but memory of the details of the crash itself remain a mystery to the trucker.
Durham police say that witnesses saw the truck weaving before the accident. The accident itself occurred on the side of Interstate 85 last Wednesday. An unmarked police car was parked behind a Mazda during a traffic stop. The truck reportedly crashed into the unmarked squad, sandwiching the police cruiser between the truck and the Mazda.
While police questioned the trucker, authorities say he complained of chest pain and took the trucker to a local hospital. The man’s defense says that the trucker with an excellent driving record suffered a medical event, leading to the accident.
He is now charged with felony serious injury by vehicle, DWI, reckless endangering, speeding and unlawfully passing an emergency vehicle. The man is free on 0,000 bond.
Source: WRAL, “Attorney: Trucker suffered ‘medical event,’ not drunk before crash,” July 31, 2012