Back on May 20, 2006, a horrific crossover crash in Polk County, Florida involving a Jaguar hitting a Honda, leading to several seriously injured people, was allegedly fueled by drunk driving. However, the main suspect left the country after being released from the hospital, never returning until recently. Now he’s back in police custody.
Paralyzed former US Congressman allegedly crashes into Florida trooper, injuring him.
The suspect, Faisal Javaid, was 27 at the time of the crash. Through a blood draw, police were able to establish he had a BAC of 0.129, well beyond the legal limit in Florida, reports the Miami Herald. But Javaid’s attorney says the whole thing is a misunderstanding.
According to the attorney, his client went to visit his sick grandmother in Pakistan, only to be barred from re-entering the US thanks to problems with an expired visa. That meant he missed the trial scheduled for 2008 and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
What’s more, the attorney claims his client wasn’t driving the Jaguar when it lost control, crossed the median, and hit the oncoming Honda. Allegedly, Javaid was asleep in the backseat, wasn’t buckled in, and so was thrown almost 100 feat from the wreckage, which was why he was hospitalized after the crash.
We have so many questions about this DUI crash case. Why did police think Javaid was driving and not the actual driver? Where is the supposed driver now? And why did Javaid stay outside the US for 15 years, only to fly into the airport in Orlando? Did he not realize he had an arrest warrant?
As for the victims who were in the Honda, little is said about them other than that they sustained “life-altering injuries” from the crash. Now they might get a measure of justice as the man authorities believe is responsible could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
The irony is had he stayed in the US and let the legal process play out, even if he’d been thrown in prison he would already be out.
Image via Miami Herald
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