Crime & Safety
Alleged Drunken Driver Rams Parked SUV
Man tells cops he'd had a hard day breaking up with girlfriend.
A alleged drunken driver damaged three parked cars early Monday morning by crashing into the rear of one of them, police said.
Police were notified of the incident at 12:25 a.m. and found an unoccupied Lexus sedan in front of the Bradford Grill, 11 North Main St., that had crashed into the back of a parked Mercedes Benz SUV.
The SUV, in turn, ran into the back of a parked Ford Focus, which was pushed forward, striking the car in front of it.
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Police entered the grill and were told the driver of the Lexus was in the men’s room.
An officer said he encountered a man in the bathroom drinking water from the sink. Asked what he was doing, the man allegedly said he was drinking water before the cops arrived.
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Under police questioning, the man said he’d had a rough day breaking up with his girlfriend. He said he had just left a bar on Washington Street, and was driving to New York to surprise a former girlfriend.
Police said he appealed to them not to be arrested considering the circumstances.
An officer reported there was the smell of alcohol on the man’s breath. He allegedly told police he drank one beer.
The man said the collision occurred because he veered right to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
The man said he’d struck his head on the steering wheel, negating the police administering him a field sobriety test.
The man was transported to Norwalk Hospital where, police said, he became argumentative with staff. He reportedly refused to sign a form and declined providing blood and urine samples.
Alan Jeffrey Gilbertson, 27, of 4 Lorena St., was issued a summons for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. He was given a court date of July 26.
At the accident scene, police noted there were no skid marks to indicate Gilbertson attempted to stop his car.
Police said the SUV was pushed forward about 20 feet by the collision and sustained extreme front and rear damage, as did the Focus. Gilbertson’s car had front end damage and air bag deployment.
