Washington Man Arrested for DUI 4x the Legal Limit on I-5

Last night (July 9), callers reported to 911 that a vehicle was swerving dangerously along northbound I-5 in Federal Way. According to the report, witnesses said the driver had nearly crashed multiple times.

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Troopers with the Washington State Patrol acted quickly and found the vehicle before disaster struck and arrested the driver for suspected impairment.

The Suspect Arrested was Four Times the Legal Limit

After the blood test, what police found was staggering. The driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was almost four times the legal limit. Those are levels of alcohol in the blood that could kill a normal person.

To put that in perspective, the Washington state legal BAC limit is 0.08%. Four times that would put a driver close to or above 0.32%, a level that isn’t just illegal but is dangerous to the point of being life-threatening. That level of intoxication causes basic motor functions like coordination, balance, and reaction time to be severely affected.

A person with that level of BAC experiences mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, and low body temperature. If bad enough, they could suffer permanent brain damage, choke on vomit, or even die.

This case was not just a normal DUI arrest.

A Sobering Reminder About Impaired Driving

This wasn’t just another traffic stop; it was a wake-up call. Impaired drivers at this level pose a serious threat to every person on the road. One wrong move, one extra second of delay, and it could have been a tragedy.

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The biggest takeaway I get from this story is that everyday drivers play a critical role in safety. Thanks to the 911 caller who took the time to report what they saw, a potential catastrophe was prevented.