Just caught this on the news. Early this morning In St. Petersburg, FL, a boater plowed through at least five docks going right through them and breaking them in half. It was in front of a St. Pete condo where I believe the newscast said he lived, but I'm not 100% sure on this. The driver turned out to be a 21 year veteren of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Dept. Florida Fish and Game Officers said the driver refused to take a breathalyzer test. Luckily no on was seriously injured in the crash. The area is a clearly marked "No Wake Zone" and it was just past the sign that the boat veered into the docks. F and G officers said the boat had to be traveling at a high rate of speed to do the damage that it did. The video tape of the docks was pretty amazing. They are absolutely torn in half. The boat blew the first one and just kept on going. They are very very lucky no one died in that incident.

Julie

$ 500.00 fine and automatic loss of driver's license for I think six months but I'm not completely sure of the length of time. This is above and beyond anything else he might eventually be charged with. F & G officers are also going to charge him with violation of the "No Wake Zone" besides the BUI.

The report claimed it was a 26ft boat with 13 people aboard! Thirteen!

They also said that he may have been racing a "Cigarette" style boat that immediately fled the area ...

Where was Cig Daze???

i once read a phrase..............i don't know were i saw it .............



Big sips sink ships..be a resonsible boater

Heres a question for you trout,is it standard procedure for cops to always refuse the breath alchohol test (not implying you'd know from personal experience or anything). Everytime i read about law enforcement or a public official in mich getting a dui or accident where alcohol is involved it seems 100% of the time they refuse any alcohol test no matter what. Is it something the union tells them to do (in the case of the officers)? There has been a BIG crackdown in the last 10 years of local forces giving officers from other jurisdictions "professional courtesy",the one that caused the biggest uproar was about 10 years ago when a officer so drunk he couldn't walk caused a accident with injuries and was given a ride home to sober up before being actually interviewed/processed. When it got on the news because of some real persistance from the injured's family policy's got changed.

Russ..Yeah I just posted this on the bilge..Russ I have to get up earlier to beat ya to it

We were just leaving that area when 28 Baja sportfish passed us with a ton of people on board. I was headed the other way because I did't want to deal with no wake zone & I had no registration #'s on the new boat. That area is Law enforcement central. Glad I went the other way

The only people that will refuse a breath test are Drunk. Judges know that.
In most states, the penalty is more severe for refusal than if the person actually took the test and failed, especially on a first offense.

In Nebraska, if you refuse a chemical or breath test, it is an AUTOMATIC 1 year license suspension through the DMV. There is no trial, just a DMV hearing.
On a first offense DUI, the longest you can loose yor license is 6 months, and in most cases, its 90 days.

A freind of mine lives there where the accident took place. He had just gotten home from a Superbowl party. Here's his story.

Boat wreck

Pay now or pay forever. Which do you choose? Pay now=Don't take the breath test, go to jail, call your lawyer, go to trial (if any),pay your fine, go without your license for whatever period, and have no DUI on your record. Pay Forever=Take the breath test, plead guilty, pay your fine, go without your license for whatever period, have a DUI on your record, pay outrageous insurance costs on all vehicles you own, and when a cop runs your tags and/or pulls you over the DUI will come across as prior convictions.

Why incriminate yourself? Either way you will be going to jail and wishing that you didn't take the test.