Suspected drunk driver crashes pickup into gas station
A 63-year-old man was arrested in Weidman Monday after crashing his pickup into a gas station, narrowly avoiding police car and gas pumps.
A Michigan State Police trooper from the Mt. Pleasant Post was refueling her patrol vehicle at a Weidman gas station around 1:55 a.m. Aug. 31 when she was nearly hit.
The trooper saw the red pickup driving erratically through the parking lot. It narrowly avoided hitting two diesel fuel pumps, the marked patrol vehicle and the trooper before swerving toward the convenience store.
It crashed into the building and came to rest after hitting coolers at the back of the store.
No injuries were reported. State police said the driver, a Weidman resident, was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving and taken to the Isabella County Jail.
Does Michigan’s OWI law apply in a parking lot?
Yes. Michigan’s impaired-driving statute, MCL 257.625, applies on highways and in other places open to the public or generally accessible to motor vehicles, including parking areas. It prohibits operating while intoxicated and separately prohibits operating while visibly impaired.
Michigan uses operating while intoxicated (OWI) as its legal term for conduct often called driving under the influence (DUI). An arrest on suspicion of impaired driving does not establish guilt.
Michigan Legal Center’s guide to Michigan OWI and DUI law after a crash explains the terminology and why a criminal OWI case is separate from a possible civil injury claim.
Get help from Michigan Legal Center
Michigan Legal Center: the Law Offices of Christopher J. Trainor & Associates handles Michigan car accident, no-fault and personal injury claims, including claims involving suspected impaired drivers.
If you were injured in a motor vehicle crash involving a suspected impaired driver, contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether the matter falls within Michigan Legal Center’s practice areas.
There is no attorney fee unless money is recovered for you. Case costs and fee terms are governed by the written fee agreement.
More information is available on Michigan Legal Center’s Michigan car accident claims page.