A Florida driver was being chased by officers for exceeding the speed of 100 miles per hour before crashing his vehicle into a church. Authorities said that the suspect was under the influence of alcohol.
Charges Against the Reckless Driver
Yahoo News reported that according to a complaint from the Florida Highway Patrol, law enforcement officers started pursuing the vehicle when it disregarded a stop sign early on Sunday, May 7, in Plant City. The car then began driving on the incorrect side of the road and failed to stop when it approached a second stop sign. State police officers continued their pursuit of the vehicle even after it ran multiple stop signs. After turning onto State Road 60, an east-west route that travels through Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, it increased its speed to about one hundred miles per hour.
Moreover, the car’s driver skipped a red light and then tried to turn right into a road before it drifted off the highway and smashed into a church. The Florida Highway Patrol took the video from the car’s dashboard camera, showing the vehicle speeding off the roadway and slamming the whole front end into the church. On the other hand, the report says the police officer shouted at the driver for stepping out of the vehicle and told them to get out. The driver, later determined to be named Damian Alfonso Rios, 25, began “using foul language” toward the law enforcement officer and the deputy.
Rios was transported by emergency personnel to a medical facility for examination. After that, he agreed to take a breath test, and the results indicated that his blood alcohol concentration was between 0.132 and 0.133 percent. As per WTV, one case of careless driving, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs that resulted in property damage or personal harm, and one count of fleeing to avoid a law enforcement officer were all brought against him. However, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, he was freed later on Sunday, May 7, after paying $8,000.
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Consequences of Over Speeding
Everyone on the road is in danger when someone is over speeding; in 2020, 11,258 persons lost their lives because of reckless driving. As mentioned, people are familiar with the stresses of modern life, such as balancing a full schedule, but the posted speed limit is there for the safety of everyone who uses the road, NHTSA stated. Since the beginning of the 21st century, over-speeding has contributed to around one-third of all fatalities involving motor vehicles. In 2020, excessive speed was affected in 29% of all fatal automobile accidents.
As mentioned, even if an individual is driving at the speed limit but too quickly for the circumstances of the road, such as when there is terrible weather, when a route is being repaired, or when people are traveling at night in an area that is not well illuminated, the speed can still impair their safety. The person speeding puts their own life in danger and everyone else’s lives on the road, including the officers trying to keep the peace. It is an issue that requires the participation of all people.
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