The site of an accident involving property damage or injuries will typically lead to police involvement. When police responding to such a scene believe the accident may have been caused by, or involved, impairment of a driver somehow, DUI charges may follow the incident. A woman in Tennessee recently drove her car into a bar in Nashville and was arrested for DUI afterward.
The accident occurred in the afternoon as the woman ran her car into the front of the building while patrons were inside. The front wall and the windows were hit and broken bits of the building were on the sidewalk. Witnesses to the crash said the driver was looking up and straight ahead as she proceeded to hit the building.
The police described the woman as having red and watery eyes, along with dilated eyes. She also reportedly told police she took pain medication. The woman also allegedly was not sure she had the medication or any alcohol on the day of the incident. She was arrested and charged with DUI, and it was discovered she also had a DUI conviction on her record from years ago.
DUI charges can be frightening to face after an accident on Tennessee roadways. It can also be confusing when the DUI charge involves medication. The use of medication can involve side effects that may be easily confused with impairment. While there is no word as to exactly what type of medication may have been involved in this case, anyone facing DUI charges related to an incident that may have involved prescription medication may want to pursue whether or not the use of certain medications can result in a dismissal or downgraded charges if side effects, rather than misuse, played a role in the incident.
Source: wncn.com, "Woman plows SUV into Nashville bar, charged with DUI", Nov. 6, 2015