Georgia DUI News: House struck by high BAC driver in Rome
There are people who are barely able to stand and function at the legal limit of 0.080. Then there are people who are highly functional at twice that. Here is some news from a Georgia DUI case about a man who was four times the legal limit at the time he hit a car and a house.
Rome News - Tribune: "A Rome man is in jail today, charged with ramming into a parked car and a house on his way home Sunday night.
According to Floyd County Jail records:
Pedro Coj Ruiz, 37, of 812 Darlington Way, was arrested late Sunday and charged with DUI, driving without a license and striking an unattended vehicle.
Police said Ruiz was driving a 2009 red Ford Aerostar on East Ninth Street about 8 p.m. when he sideswiped a 1993 Jeep Cherokee and continued onto Maple Avenue.
A witness provided a license number and officers contacted 911 for the address.
Upon arriving at Ruiz’s Darlington Way home, police found him leaning up against his van, talking to a neighbor whose house he had just hit as he pulled into the drive.
Ruiz reportedly smelled of alcohol and was ‘unstable,’ so an officer helped him sit in his van while he was questioned. A field sobriety test was not conducted because he was unable to stand on his own.
A breath alcohol test given to him at the station registered results of .342 and .324. The legal limit is .08 for drivers in Georgia."
Most jurisdictions now punish very high BAC drivers more severely than they do low level drivers. I question whether this is right or not. Since you or I may be just as impaired at a .120 as Mr. Ruiz from the article was a .324, would you or I be any less of a danger to ourselves and others? I think not.
Now, if I'm at the same level of impairment at a .120 as Mr. Ruiz is at a .324, who do you think needs help more? I vote for Mr. Ruiz because you have to have a serious alcohol tolerance and probably a serious alcohol problem to be able to get that high. Should we punish him more because of his problem. I argue that we shouldn't, as long as he agrees to get help. Getting Mr. Ruiz help is the only thing that will ultimately make society and Mr. Ruiz safe.
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