Driver eight times over the limit
A driver may have blown the highest alcohol reading ever while behind the wheel in New Zealand.
The man is believed to have blown over 2000 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath – more than eight times the legal alcohol limit of 250mcg, reports Newstalk ZB.
He was stopped by a police patrol in the eastern Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau about 7.15am Thursday.
Whakatane police stopped the vehicle after other motorists reported concerns for the driver’s behaviour.
Sergeant Ray Wylie said the result, of possibly more than 2000mcg, is the highest he had seen. A blood sample had been sent for analysis and would likely take up to four weeks for the results.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said 2000mcg was among the highest readings ever recorded in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, three people were left hospitalised after the driver of a car crashed into a concrete wall and allegedly ran from police.
Emergency services were called to the crash on the corner of Park Rd and Hazelmere Crs in Te Awamutu just before 10pm Wednesday.
The young driver of the sedan was reportedly travelling along Park Rd from the Kihikihi end when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a concrete wall, police said. Three passengers were left in the crashed car when the driver took off and was chased by a police dog handler.
St John sent four ambulances to the scene and transported the patients to Waikato Hospital – one with serious injuries and the other two moderate. Police said the crash exposed electric cables and burst a water pipe. The driver of the car was unable to be located, but police had identified him.