Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog
For years, people have been recording themselves and making online videos for people to watch and comment on. More recently, we have seen apps that let people broadcast themselves live and interact with their views and commenters. As one might expect, people do some pretty stupid things on these apps with people watching, and, according to a recent news report from News 10, one Florida woman decided to broadcast herself while drinking in her car and driving under the influence, and this broadcast resulted in an arrest.
Authorities say the woman was using Periscope, a livestreaming app owned by Twitter, at the time of her arrest. The 23-year-old woman allegedly said, “I think I’m drunk, let’s see if I get a DUI, I don’t think I will.” She was holding her smartphone while taking the video and describing how she went out dinking and decided to broadcast her drunken ride home. At one point she said she thought she had a flat tire and discussed how she was driving through a red light. She also repeatedly said, “driving drunk is not cool, this is bad guys.”
At this point, some viewers called police and tried to get them to dispatch a patrol car to intercept the woman while she was driving around drunk and complaining that it was on live video. The officers were not able to download the app on official computers, because it was unauthorized software, but one officer downloaded the app onto a personal computer, and authorities said there was a younger officer who was able to figure out how to work the software. Once they had the video loaded, they used landmarks to determine exactly where she was and dispatched officers to intercept the vehicle with the woman allegedly driving drunk.
When police caught up with her, they found the vehicle with one flat tire and tried to initiate a traffic stop. They said she did not stop when she hi the curb and drove a significant distance on the curb. Officers say they immediately detected alcohol when they approached the vehicle. Her eyes were allegedly bloodshot and glossy, and she was having difficulty speaking. Evidence of this was seen when she was yelling at people commenting on her videos. While she was placed under arrest for drunk driving, it should be noted that defendant has not been convicted of any crime and is presumed innocent unless and until she is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Boston drunk driving accident lawyers routinely see how being intoxicated can affect a driver’s physical and mental abilities. In some cases, we are dealing with people who are only slightly intoxicated, and, in other cases, people are so drunk they can barely stand. However, regardless of the level of intoxication, it is easy see how it would be difficult to drive in a safe manner, so as to prevent a foreseeable injury to foreseeable persons and property. This is the duty of care owed to anyone on the roads and sidewalks of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in a car accident lawsuit, including one involving a drunk driver.
If you have been injured in a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Florida woman Periscopes while drunk driving, October 12, 2015, News 10, by Garin Flowers
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