Driver Charged with Drunk Driving After Crashing into Store in Bay Ridge, NY

BAY RIDGE, NY- The brooklyneagle.com reports that a driver caused a minor accident in Bay Ridge on Saturday morning at about 2:22 a.m. that led to a car smashing into a building. The accident started one vehicle rear-ended another in what was described as a fender bender. Following that crash, a passenger in one of the cars took over the driver’s seat and tried to flee the scene.

The driver made a U-turn, and then crashed into an American Greetings car shop. The driver responsible was charged with drunk driving, reckless endangerment and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Police reported that the driver, Dontae Christiani, 24, refused to take a breathalyzer at the scene of the accident. No injuries were reported in the accident.

The Brooklyn accident happened just a few days after another building, a café in Bed-Stuy, was struck by a vehicle injuring several people. Drunk driving is responsible for about 17% of accidents that lead to cars striking buildings, and drugs and alcohol are contributing factors in approximately 11% of all vehicle accidents. Fatal accidents involve drunk drivers about 28% of the time.

In New York, 3,752 people were killed in alcohol-related car accidents between the years 2003 and 2012. Drunk driving rates are lower among New Yorkers than they are on average throughout the country. Leaving the scene of a collision is a crime, but many drivers flee after causing car crashes, especially if they have been drinking or have violated another law, and fear that they will face charges if caught. Many states have been increasing the penalties for fleeing the scene of an accident in order to deter drivers from leaving after causing a crash.