Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I get off work last night around 4:00a.m. and I'm almost home driving down a two lane unmarked blacktop road when I come around a curve and see what I tought was a mailbox reflector. As it turns out it was the rear end of some idiot's car. They had apparently run off the road and the car had spun around with the front end down in a ditch with the rear completely perpendicular to the road. Nobody around, with one of the windows partialy busted out. I figured it was some drunk who had left in a hurry to avoid a DUI and when the trooper got there he shined his light in the floor and sure enough, open beer bottles. I can't believe they would just leave their car setting in the road after dark like that. I wonder what they could be charged with?

I wonder what they could be charged with?

They will probably call and report the car stolen if they are a repeat offender, it's usually par for the course. If not they will call the next AM (when they are sober) and say they were avoiding a deer. They get a ticket for RD and maybe for Failing to Report Accident (if they don't call within 24 hours). Unfortunately, this happens all the time in rural areas due to the long response times it takes us to get to accidents.

Like you said.. The guy was running to get away from a DWI.

It will probibally be this guys lucky day since unless he hit something else, they can't get him with leaving the scene of an accident. They'll tow his car and he'll have to pay the storage and tow fee.

He'll get lucky and not get a DWI since they didn't observe him driving and can't verify he didn't consume any alchol after returning home. Worst problem is that this guy will keep driving and end up hurting some one else though.