Investigated for drunk driving and fleeing the scene after causing an accident

Citizen collaboration helps locate a 44-year-old man of British nationality who allegedly caused the accident

October 31 2020 (18:48 WET)
Updated in October 31 2020 (21:44 WET)
Image of a Civil Guard checkpoint
Image of a Civil Guard checkpoint

Agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard investigated on October 27 the driver of a passenger vehicle as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against road safety, for driving under the influence of alcohol, also being involved in a traffic accident.

The events occurred when agents of the Las Palmas Traffic Subsector went on the 27th, at 4:20 p.m., to kilometer point 3.400 of the LZ-2 road, in the municipality of San Bartolomé, in order to instruct the corresponding proceedings for the occurrence of a traffic accident, consisting of a rear-end collision between two vehicles, when a van - driven by the investigated - collided with the rear of the car in front of it, just before the detour to the César Manrique airport on the aforementioned island, resulting in material damage and a minor injury.

However, the agents verified that the driver of the vehicle that caused the traffic accident fled the scene, immediately beginning his search by going to various patrols in the health centers and both hospitals on the island of Lanzarote, also counting on the collaboration of the local police and other units of the Civil Guard.

Thanks to the collaboration of several witnesses to the accident who stopped to help the victim and waited for the arrival of the emergency services, it was possible to obtain a physical description of the escaped driver, in addition to his clothing, reporting that he was with evident symptoms of being under the influence of alcoholic beverages, due to his way of speaking, the strong smell of alcohol at a distance and the difficulty in maintaining balance.

Citizen collaboration

He was finally located an hour and a half later, in the town of Tías, where previously some neighbors had requested the presence of the Local Police of said municipality to alert of a man lying on the street with injuries. Once the Civil Guards who were looking for the escaped person appeared, they were able to verify that it was the aforementioned driver, also being the owner of the vehicle involved in the traffic accident.

An ambulance was immediately requested to first attend to the injuries he presented, and then the agents requested him to perform the relevant breathalyzer test, with the driver, a 44-year-old man of British origin, giving a positive result of 1.05 mg/l, the maximum permitted rate being 0.25 mg/l.

Immediately afterwards, they proceeded to inform the driver of his investigation as the alleged perpetrator of a crime against road safety for having exceeded the maximum alcohol level in exhaled air, remaining at the disposal of the Duty Court of the Judicial District of Arrecife.

In addition to the corresponding report, he was administratively reported for leaving the vehicle abandoned on the road, without the corresponding signage, and for leaving the scene while involved in a traffic accident.

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