Nun Arrested on Suspicion of Drunk Driving

According to a recent news article from Fox News, a nun was just arrested for drunk driving, and the arrest was recorded on video, including when she took the field sobriety test wearing a religious habit.

DUI checkpointAuthorities in New Jersey have said that the alleged drunk driver was in fact a nun from Philadelphia. They said she was pulling into the parking lot of an auto parts store in reverse and crashed into the store’s front door. Luckily, the store was closed at the time, so no customers or employees were injured.

When the owner of the store arrived to work the day after this alleged drunk driving accident, an officer told him that it was a drunk nun that crashed her car into his building and that they managed to arrest her a little further down the road after she left the scene of the crash. The nun was driving a Ford F-150 pick up truck at the time of the alleged drunk driving incident.

As one might expect, the owner of the auto shop was very surprised, because, as he said, it is not every day that a drunken nun crashes into your business at three in the morning and then flees the scene.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia was contacted for a comment and released a statement saying the woman was in fact a nun and had been working at an all girl high school in the area.   She was placed on administrative leave after her arrest, and coverage would be provided for the classes she was teaching.   It is important to note that this defendant has not been convicted of any crime in connection with this alleged drunk driving accident, as these are merely allegations. She is presumed innocent of all charges unless and until she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

While, as the owner of the shop said, this is not something that happens every day. This is true, and it would be safe to say that a very small percentage of those arrested for drunk driving are nuns; however, it does go to show that anyone can end up drinking too much and getting behind the wheel. In some cases, we are dealing with chronic alcoholics who wake up with a drink and get behind the wheel drunk all the time, and, in other cases, we are dealing with someone who hardly drinks at all. Some people go to a bar or a restaurant after work and have two beers or two glasses of wine thinking they are okay to drive. In many cases, they are not, and a serious drunk driving accident can occur.

Alcohol causes people to make poor choices and do things they wouldn’t normally do. This is not only true when driving, but also when making a decision as to whether or not to get behind the wheel after drinking. The best thing to do is make a commitment before going out that, if you are going to drink any alcohol, you should already know you will not be driving. This could include using a designated driver or using a ridesharing app.

If you have been injured in a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.

Additional Resources:

Police: Nun Arrested for Alleged DUI, November 16, 2015, Fox News, by Shawnette Wilson

More Blog Entries:

Alleged Drunk Driver Crashes into Saugus, Massachusetts Home, Aug. 21, 2014, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog

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