As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I can tell you unequivocally that running from or trying to evade the police due to a drunk driving stop or worse, a DWI traffic accident will in no way improve your chances in court. Being convicted for driving under the influence of alcohol is already a stigma in our society; the law these days is extremely harsh on violators, which makes any additional related offenses counter-productive at best.
Not long ago, a 22-year-old man was arrested for drunk driving as well as allegedly being involved in a single-vehicle traffic accident in Barnegat, NJ. According to news reports, the incident started with a call to police regarding a one-car collision on Route 532 in the early morning hours on a Sunday.
When the officers arrived, they found a Toyota Tacoma with severe front-end damage that had obviously crashed into a snowbank, however the vehicle was empty and there was no sign of the driver. Police also noticed that the vehicle’s two front airbags had been deployed due to the impact.
Noticing footprints in the snow that seemed to lead away from the vehicle, officers called in the K-9 unit attached to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department for help in tracking the suspect. The effort was unsuccessful, however, and police gave up after an hour.
Several hours later, another patrolman found the uninjured driver, Ryan Rickmers, walking through the woods near his Ocean County home. According to police, there were no other occupants in the vehicle.
Patrolman Michael DiBlasi arrested the man on charges of driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane, failure to report an accident and leaving the scene of an accident. He was released pending a court date.
Cops track driver after crash in Barnegat, charge him with DWI, APP.com, March 3, 2010