The family of a woman celebrating her 30th birthday at the Mill Pond Inn on Main Street in Centerport had its festivities disrupted when a suspected drunk driver hit nine vehicles parked outside the restaurant. The vehicles of other patrons were damaged as well.
The woman said that she heard screeching and smashing as a vehicle hit car after car. When the driver reached the end of the parking lot, he spun and crashed into another car. Another person at the scene said that the driver was clearly intoxicated and appeared to be panicking while trying to escape the situation.
The driver’s car suffered too much damage to operate, and two people from the restaurant removed him from the car and held him until police arrived. The Suffolk Police department reported that the alleged drunk driver was a 53-year-old man. The divorced father of three lived in a motel one block west of the restaurant. Authorities charged him with driving under the influence, but the man pleaded not guilty to the DWI charges.
A person accused of drunk driving could consult an attorney about how to create a defense from the criminal charges. An attorney could evaluate the case and look for important details such as the possibility that the person had taken a physician-prescribed medication that caused an unexpected reaction. In some situations, an attorney might find mistakes on the sobriety test that could disqualify the evidence. If a case cannot be dismissed, then an attorney could strive to negotiate a plea bargain that limits penalties and potentially gives the person a chance to regain a driver’s license in the future.
Source: CBS New York, “Suffolk Police: Drunken Driver Smashes 9 Cars Parked In Front Of Restaurant“, Aug. 23, 2016
