Man To Be Charged For Driving Drunk And Crashing Into A Tree

A man was admitted to hospital on May 5th with non-life threatening injuries, following a car crash where he allegedly drove while “super drunk”, and crashed into a tree.

Just after 8pm, on Monday of this week, Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call that took them to the site of a drunk driving accident on Leeke Road. Apparently the driver of a 2005 Hundai Santa Fe had been traveling north near Topith road, when he lost control of his vehicle. The SUV allegedly became airborne, hit the ditch to the side of the road, and then collided with a tree.

The driver, a 26-year-old man from Grass Lake, MI was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. He had been wearing his seatbelt and was the only occupant of the vehicle.

Undersheriff Chris Kuhl said that the man, whose name has not yet been released, underwent testing at the hospital and was discovered to have a blood alcohol count (BAC) of above 0.17, which is the state of Michigan’s threshold for “super drunk”.

Under the Michigan “super drunk” law, the term refers to any driver whose blood alcohol content is 0.17 or above. If a person is convicted of driving while “super drunk”, they face enhanced penalties and license sanctions. The penalties for a super drunk driving conviction are almost double the amount of sentencing time, along with increased fines and driver’s license suspension. In addition, they will be required to undergo an alcohol rehabilitation program for one year.

The sheriff’s office intends to request that the prosecutor’s office charge the driver as a super drunk driver, which is a felony charge, and may result in prison time and fines if he is convicted.