VIDEO: Drunk semi driver falls out of truck, blocks traffic on Minnesota highway
(KMSP) - A Minnesota man is being charged after troopers pulled him over for driving a semi-truck while drunk. A video from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety shows the driver falling out of the truck and rolling and crawling on the ground, causing to troopers shut down an entire lane of traffic.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. on July 16. Minnesota State Patrol troopers were alerted to a semi-truck that was swerving over the lanes of Highway 10. The semi served off the right shoulder, hit a sign and swerved back to the left before eventually coming to a stop on the right shoulder.
The driver, identified as Jonathan Czech, 45, of Isle, Minnesota, told the trooper who pulled him over that he was traveling from Minot, North Dakota. The trooper noticed Czech’s speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot and watery and he smelled of alcohol. He admitted to consuming a “few beers.”
When he was asked to step out of the truck, Czech fell onto the highway and was unable to stand even with assistance. He rolled and crawled on the ground, forcing the trooper to redirect traffic around him.
Troopers found two 1.75 bottles of vodka next to the driver’s seat. One of the bottles was open and some of the vodka was gone.
A breath test revealed Czech had an alcohol concentration of 0.28. Czech is charged with two counts of driving while intoxicated.
The driver in this case is not employed by Wal-Mart. He was working for third-party transportation company Crete Carrier Corporation. Wal-Mart contacted Crete Carrier to express the company's concerns with the matter and have been told that the driver was fired.