A Florida DUI arrest is drawing attention this week, and not just because of the vehicle involved. A bright yellow Hummer plowing into a guardrail on a public roadway is hard to miss under any circumstances, but when the driver’s official explanation points the finger at a traffic light, the story takes on a life of its own.
Lee County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ernesto Ortiz following a crash on Corkscrew Road near Interstate 75 in Estero. According to the arrest report, Ortiz reportedly told responding deputies, “It was the light’s fault.” Witnesses in the area told a somewhat different story, noting that Ortiz had been at Duffy’s Sports Bar just minutes before the crash, a venue located less than a mile from where the Hummer came to rest against the guardrail.
What followed the impact was arguably more eyebrow-raising than the crash itself. Multiple witnesses told deputies that Ortiz was actively trying to work the vehicle free from the guardrail, apparently intending to drive away. Deputies also determined that Ortiz was operating the Hummer on a suspended license, which added a layer of legal trouble before the DUI charges even entered the picture…