autoevolution
 

DUI Conviction Overturned In Appeal Court For Man That Hit Truck With Wheelchair

An Oregon appeals court has reversed a 2012 DUI conviction for a man who had been charged with drunk driving for being intoxicated while operating a mobility scooter that he needed for transportation.
Daytona 4 GT Mobility Scooter 1 photo
Photo: Medicalmobilityshop.com
The man came to the attention of Oregon’s Lincoln County Police after he slammed his motorized wheelchair into a pickup truck on a crosswalk.

At the time, the man was under the influence of alcoholic beverages, and he was charged with a DUI. After a two-day trial, a fine of $1,500 was issued to the man, and his driver’s license was suspended for three years.

The Appeals Court in Oregon has agreed to the lawyers representing Mr. Greene after they demonstrated that operating the motorized wheelchair on a crosswalk, just like a pedestrian would, did not qualify the man as a “driver.” Thus, the DUI charge was incorrect because the mobility scooter was not under the legal definition of a vehicle according to Oregon law.

It is important to regard that this decision only seems to apply to this case, and that is because the mobility scooter was used on a crosswalk, just like a regular pedestrian, and not on the road, like vehicles travel.

The difference between the two made it possible to consider another article of Oregon law that appears to define wheelchair users as pedestrians: “any person afoot or confined to a wheelchair.”

As the Appeals Court noted, state lawmakers have not intended to consider wheelchair users in crosswalks as “drivers,” and then the case was won for Mr. James Richard Greene.

It is important to underline that state laws vary, and that doing the same thing in another place or situation could lead to a DUI conviction. Never operate a vehicle after consuming alcohol, drugs, or medication that could impair your abilities.

The Oregonian has observed that the man did have a previous conviction for a DUI in 2007, but court records did not indicate whether it happened while he was at the wheel of an automobile or while operating the wheelchair he is confined to use for day-to-day transportation necessities.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories