Alleged drunk driver crashes into a wall

The force of the crash was so strong that the engine of the vehicle flew out and motor oil was leaking around the vehicle. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

A man who was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol ran off the road and crashed into a concrete barrier near a store in San Roque last Friday.

Arthur Raupei, 31, was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol, among a long list of violations, after police had to extract him from a vehicle that he crashed into a concrete barrier next to the Welcome Market in San Roque.

Raupei was also cited for failing to maintain the right side of the highway, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, speeding, and reckless driving.

Raupei is currently in stable condition following the accident but sustained some major and minor injuries.

According to a press release from the Department of Public Safety, DPS dispatch received a 911 call at about 9:10pm last Friday, reporting that a vehicle ran off the road and rammed a concrete barrier in San Roque.

At the scene, officers came upon onlookers surrounding the vehicle and taking photos and video of the vehicle that was resting on its driver’s side atop a concrete barrier separating Welcome Market and the establishment next to it.

Police secured the scene and, with the help of medics, extracted Raupei out of a blue 2013 Hyundai Elantra using a jaws-of-life tool.

After Raupei was removed from the vehicle, he was immediately transported to the Commonwealth Health Center for treatment. He was treated for multiple lacerations to his head, left arm, left elbow, and a fractured skull. He was admitted for further observation but he is currently in stable condition.

Police noted that the force of the crash was so strong that the engine of the vehicle flew out and motor oil was leaking around the vehicle.

When asked later, Raupei does not recall what caused the vehicle to swerve and run off the road.

Eyewitnesses told police that the vehicle was traveling south on the inner lane at a high rate of speed, before hitting the center median in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle then swerved to the right, hitting several sign posts, trees, construction gate barriers, and the retaining wall of Welcome Market before coming to a complete stop.

Police noticed a few empty beer cans within the vehicle that looked like they had just been drank and a blood test revealed that Raupei had a blood alcohol level of .106%, much higher than the allowable limit of .08.

The CNMI Department of Public Safety encourages the public to call 911 anytime to report a crime or an emergency.