NFL's Stallworth Charged with DUI in Fatal Miami Beach Pedestrian Accident
NFL Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been charged with DUI in a March 14 car accident where a Florida pedestrian was killed. Stallworth was driving his Bentley on MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach around 7:15 a.m. when he struck and killed Mario Reyes, 59, an overnight construction crane operator who was walking to catch a bus.
According to Miami Herald news reports, Reyes was not crossing the six-lane causeway in a crosswalk. Stallworth pulled around a stopped car to beat a red light when he struck Reyes, who died from his injuries. Toxicology reports showed that Stallworth's blood alcohol level tested at .126 -- Florida's legal blood alcohol concentration limit is .08.
Stallworth is charged with a felony that carries a minimum of 4 years behind bars with a maximum of 15 years in prison. He was released on $200,000 bail under the conditions that he is not allowed to drive and he must adhere to a curfew of midnight to 6 a.m. His arraignment takes place April 23 for this MacArthur Causeway auto pedestrian accident.
Florida Traffic Laws for Pedestrians and Drivers
Florida has specific laws designed to protect pedestrians and drivers. According to the Florida Dept. of Transportation, if a pedestrian is not using a crosswalk, then they "...must cross at right angles to the edge of the roadway, or by the shortest route to the opposite side." (See link to law summaries on the Fla. DOT website, below.)
Traffic deaths in Florida where alcohol was a factor amounted to 1,239 fatalities in 2005 (State of Florida, Highway Safety Plan, FY06). A Florida car-pedestrian accident lawyer familiar with state DUI laws as well as laws governing traffic and pedestrian crossings represents families who've suffered a loss or injuries where someone on foot was injured or killed by a motor vehicle.
NFL's Donte' Stallworth bonds out in DUI manslaughter charge
MiamiHerald.com April 3, 2009
Stallworth appears in court on DUI case, released on bail
MiamiHerald.com April 2, 2009
Related Web Resources
Cleveland Browns Statement on Stallworth
Florida Dept. of Transportation: Traffic Laws for Pedestrians and Drivers
