What’s worse than distracted driving? Doing so while drunk, of course. A Connecticut man is looking at a stack of charges for just that deadly combination after crashing and rolling his car. Miraculously, the driver was reportedly unharmed by the end-over-end wreck. 

The unscathed 46-year-old is looking at charges for his distracted driving and drunkenness behind the wheel of his Acura sedan

Along with medical emergencies and an onslaught of false alarms, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are some of the most common calls for firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS). Unfortunately, the reality can often be grim and gruesome for first responders at these scenes. But not this one.

A 46-year-old man was driving his Acura sedan near Vernon, Connecticut, when he lost control of his car. He rolled over, leaving the wounded sedan on its roof. Fortunately for the driver, he was seemingly unscathed. He pulled himself out of the inverted wreck just in time for police and fire crews to arrive.

That was the end of the driver’s good fortunes. It didn’t take long for police on the scene to conclude that he had been driving distracted, using his cell phone while behind the wheel. Worse yet, they found the Connecticut Acura driver to be driving under the influence (DUI) at the time of the wreck.

Since the driver was uninjured, his trip was not to the hospital, but to jail. Vernon police charged the man for his DUI, failing to stay in the proper lane, and distracted driving, per the Hartford Courant. Interestingly, the courts allowed the driver to leave jail on a $5,000 non-surety bond. Now, in case you didn’t know, a non-surety bond doesn’t require up-front payment or collateral. Just a promise.

Despite the apparent leniency here, distracted driving, even sans alcohol, is a serious issue. Thousands of motorists die in the United States every year due to distracted driving. In 2022, over 3,300 drivers and passengers died due to the epidemic of smartphones and devices behind the wheel.