All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws establishing the legal age for purchasing and consuming alcohol to 21 years. Because of this, many states have laws governing the penalties for a person under the age of 21 who are charged with a DUI. In Florida, there is a zero-tolerance policy in effect for underage drivers. They can be charged with a DUI beginning at a blood-alcohol level of .02%. Underage drivers with a blood-alcohol level at this percentage will result in a six-month license suspension. If the blood-alcohol level is .05% or higher, their license will remain suspended until a DUI course is completed, including a substance abuse evaluation.
Local 10 News reports that a teen has been arrested almost two years after a DUI crash that injured two firefighters and killed a friend.
18-year-old Alexander Martinez was arrested and is facing charges of vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, DUI causing serious bodily injury, and DUI causing property damage.
The charges stem from a May 19, 2018 accident where Martinez had a blood-alcohol content of .091%. The accident killed a friend of Martinez.
Just before 2 a.m. on May 19th, two firefighters were working to extricate a person from a disabled vehicle. The vehicle was on the right shoulder of I-95 just south of the Northwest 62nd Street exit.
Martinez was behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV 4 going approximately 83 m.p.h. when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle spun, hit a concrete wall, and continued to rotate. It then sideswiped a parked City of Miami Fire Rescue truck. It finally stopped as it slid backward into another fire rescue truck.
Equipment became dislodged from the fire trucks and struck two firefighters. One of those firefighters was critically injured.
There were four passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash, each passenger ranging in age from 15 to 18. One of the teens died in the crash.
Martinez is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
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