Michigan: Deputy helping ditched truck nearly hit by drunk driver on U.S. 31, sheriff says
A sheriff's deputy had to jump out of the way of an alleged drunk driver on snow-covered U.S. 31 Monday night where he was helping with a truck that had slid into a ditch, the Mason County Sheriff said.
The deputy had responded to help a semi-truck driver who had slid into the ditch on U.S. 31 near the Ludington rest area in Summit Township around 11 p.m. Dec. 28, said Sheriff Kim C. Cole.
He was standing next to his cruiser, with full emergency lights flashing, while a tow truck worked to free the semi, Cole said. That's when the deputy noticed a car heading toward him at normal freeway speed – far too fast for storm conditions that dumped about 3 inches of snow Monday, Cole said.
The deputy, wearing a reflective safety vest, tried to wave the driver off with his flashlight before jumping out of the way, Cole said. He later took a photo of the car's tire tracks that came within 6 inches of the cruiser parked on the side of the freeway, Cole said.
The deputy was able to radio information about the driver to another deputy who was responding to the same semi slide-off, Cole said. The second deputy pulled over the driver, who is suspected of driving drunk and had a small bag of marijuana on him, Cole said. The driver refused to take a breathalyzer test at the scene, he said.
The 56-year-old Ludington man remained lodged in the Mason County Jail Tuesday morning, Cole said. The sheriff's department is seeking charges against him that include second offense drunk driving, possession of marijuana and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
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