Ironically, by allegedly crashing his car into a backyard swimming pool a man's life may have been saved. According to news sources, a family in Vancouver, Washington, awoke to crashing sounds coming from outside their home. One of the residents called 911 and reported that there was a car in their pool.

Shortly afterward firefighters found a 23-year-old man walking along a nearby road. The man asked for help and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. In hospitals around the country, a blood test is standard procedure during hospital admittance. After he was treated for injuries related to the accident, the 23-year-old was charged with a DUI.

The car crash took place around 4 a.m. in a gated community. According to the police, the car jumped the curb, hit a tree and landed in the swimming pool which was covered with a tarp. One of the homeowners speculated that the tarp saved the driver's life.

The news report does not mention any factors that might have caused the car crash or even if the man was in fact the driver of the car. There was also no mention made of any prior DUI convictions for the 23-year-old. A first time DUI conviction in Washington for a blood alcohol level of between 0.08 percent and 0.15 percent carries a potential maximum of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

In addition to a DUI charge, the young man was charged with hit-and-run (for leaving the scene) and with failure to transfer title of the car.

Even when there are no injuries to others, a DUI car crash is a serious incident. Assuming that the man's civil rights were not violated during the arrest, the prosecution will need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the 23-year-old was the driver at the time of the car crash and that he was legally under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Source: KATU.com, "'There's a car in our pool,' "March 23, 2012