Driver Taking Court-Ordered Breathalyzer Test Kills Teen

The 31-year-old was not impaired at the time of the crash
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 20, 2017 9:45 AM CST

An 18-year-old Arlington, Texas, woman died Friday after being involved in a crash a week prior with a driver who police say may have been distracted by a court-ordered Breathalyzer test. The unnamed driver, 31, told police that he took his eyes off the road for three or four seconds in order to take a breath test via his ignition interlock device at 6:20pm on Nov. 10. The Fort-Worth Star Telegram describes it as a "re-test." As he was doing so, Alexis Butler was backing her Toyota Camry out of a driveway; the driver smashed into her passenger side, with NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reporting police found no tire tracks at the scene to suggest the driver applied the brakes before hitting Butler.

Police say the male driver wasn't impaired during the incident; no charges have yet been filed. Lt. Chris Cook with the Arlington Police Department says they plan to review the man's original court order and to also look at the device's directions. "It's very concerning to us, as a police department, that an individual may be operating some type of ignition equipment while they're in a moving vehicle," says Cook. The Dallas News describes a "rolling retest" as one where the driver must "blow into the device to ensure he or she isn't drinking while driving." The male driver was uninjured. (A toddler who was buckled incorrectly into a car seat was the only survivor of this Michigan crash.)

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