Last week, it was reported that another NFL player has been arrested for allegedly driving drunk in Georgia. Police in Lincolnton reported that on Feb. 23, Brandon Barden of the Tennessee Titans had crashed his truck while he was driving with two passengers.
No one was fatally injured in the car accident. However, police reported that the accident may have been the result of drunk driving. Although Barden allegedly refused to take any field sobriety tests while police investigated the accident, police still arrested the Titans tight end for DUI. Police claim that even though they did not conduct a breath test, they still had reason to suspect that the NFL player was drunk at the time of the crash.
According to reports, Barden crashed his truck after he lost control of his vehicle. When police responded to the crash, they reported that they could detect the odor of alcohol. The 23-year-old was arrested and charged with DUI after refusing to take any field sobriety tests after the accident.
When a driver chooses to refuse a breath test after an alleged DUI crash, prosecutors will need to provide other evidence to prove that the driver was impaired when the crash occurred. Although other evidence such as a field sobriety test and observations made by an arresting officer may be used against a driver, this evidence may not be sufficient when it comes to proving that a driver caused a crash while he or she was drunk.
Motor vehicle accidents may certainly occur when drivers are intoxicated, but even sober drivers may make simple mistakes that may lead to serious accidents. When drivers are suspected of DUI after a car crash in Athens, they will want to make sure they have an attorney on their side to aggressively defend their cases in court, especially when individuals are determined to beat the serious charges that have been filed against them.
Source: CBS Sports, “Titans’ Brandon Barden charged with DUI,” John Breech, Feb. 28, 2013