Drunk driver reportedly slams into police car during a traffic stop with another driver
Law enforcement officers (LEOs) pull over motorists by the tens of thousands daily. However, as just about any cop will tell you, there’s hardly such a thing as a routine traffic stop. Consequently, a drunk driver in Pennsylvania crashed into a state trooper as the officer was conducting a traffic stop with another motorist.
A Pennsylvania woman and alleged drunk driver drove into the rear of a police car at a traffic stop– and she wasn’t part of it
A Pennsylvania State Police vehicle pulled over a motorist on I-476 in Delaware County. Keeping safety and visibility in mind, the troopers parked their cruiser with their emergency lights on, prompting drivers to move right and stay clear of the traffic stop.
The police officers were standing on the left shoulder to avoid oncoming cars. Unfortunately, at around 11:30 p.m., a woman driving a “Dodge sedan,” likely a Charger considering its popularity, neglected to move out of the way. The driver, later identified as Sara Lawver, crashed into the rear of the police cruiser, nearly hitting the officers as she did so.
According to the Philly Voice, the 36-year-old driver wasn’t injured in the crash. Interestingly enough, police report that there were no tire marks or indications that Lawver had attempted to brake before crashing into the cruiser. Understandably, the officers on the scene conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) with the possibly drunk driver.
Lawver failed the field sobriety test, leading to a drunk driving arrest. While police didn’t release her blood alcohol concentration (BAC), they did charge her with more than a single driving under the influence (DUI) charge. It’s unclear whether law enforcement dismissed the first driver from the traffic stop.
Instead, law enforcement charged the drunk driver with two counts of driving under the influence and three counts of “recklessly endangering another person.” The third count likely referred to the motorist that the police had pulled over before the crash. In the state of Pennsylvania, the legal limit for a driver’s BAC is 0.08%. That’s a fairly typical legal limit for the United States, with few exceptions. For instance, Utah has a BAC limit of 0.05%.
