Shoreline Police: Does texting while driving make you forgetful...cuz.....

On the evening of Sunday October 3, 2021, at 10:34pm, Shoreline deputies responded to a collision at N 155th St and Aurora Ave N.

 
Deputies arrived on the scene and observed a black Ford F-150 in the east transit lane of Aurora Ave N. Deputies were also flagged down by a male standing next to his silver 2005 Ford Freestar in a nearby parking lot.

 
That vehicle had extensive damage to the front bumper and hood.

 
The male driver of the Freestar told deputies that he had been texting while driving, which caused him to hit the Ford truck. While we appreciated the honesty, there were a few other things he was doing that likely led to the collision.

 
Maybe he forgot.

As he spoke, deputies noted that the male was slurring his speech. When asked to provide his driver's license and insurance information, the male fumbled through his pockets and produced a credit card. 

Deputies observed the male lose his balance as he fumbled through his vehicle before finally producing his license and insurance information.

Despite the strong odor of alcohol, the male denied drinking. He again told deputies that the accident was caused by his texting. Asked if he had consumed any drugs, the male admitted he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day.

The driver declined to take a voluntary Field Sobriety Test. Based on their observations of his impairment, the male was taken into custody for DUI. The male asked deputies to lock up his vehicle. As he did so, one of the deputies noticed a Bud Light concession cup on the vehicle's floorboard. Clue.

Deputies brought the male to the local precinct, where he was processed for DUI. Two independent breath samples showed alcohol levels of .280 and .279, well over three times the legal limit.

The driver, who was previously arrested for a DUI in 2017, was booked into the SCORE (South Correctional Entity) Jail for Driving Under the Influence.

--King County Sheriff's Office