Video: Florida man drives tractor to retrieve pickup truck he crashed earlier in a ditch before DUI arrest
Bodycam: Florida man rides tractor to crash
Bodycam video captures the moment a Florida man stumbles and falls over a tractor after driving it back to the scene of his pickup truck crash.
CALLAHAN, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested for DUI after deputies say he was under the influence of alcohol when he drove a tractor to the location where he crashed a pickup truck earlier to try to tow it out of a ditch.
Nassau County crash response
What we know:
On June 24, deputies with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office responded to a single-vehicle crash.
A witness told deputies that the driver left the scene and went to a nearby residence.
Bodycam video shows a white pickup truck at an angle in the grass on the side of the road.
While on scene, deputies saw the driver return to the crash site driving a tractor.
Bodycam video shows a driver standing next to a tractor after returning to a Nassau County crash scene on June 24. Image is courtesy of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
"He’s like, I’m going to hook a tractor to it and pull it out and then I’m going to take the tractor home and come back and get the truck," someone can be heard responding in the video.
The deputy can be heard asking what happened. Another person responds that the front end is torn up.
Driver statement and evidence
The backstory:
When asked by a deputy what happened, the driver stated he was talking to a friend on the phone, was not paying attention, and did not know how the crash occurred.
Investigators said when they searched the pickup truck, they found a 15-pack of cold beer alongside multiple open containers on the floorboard.
Deputies informed the driver that operating any motor vehicle on Florida roadways while impaired constitutes a DUI, prompting the driver to respond that he did not know that.
Following a field sobriety exercise, deputies arrested the man.
A Nassau County deputy interviews a driver during a roadside driving under the influence investigation. Image is courtesy of the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's office warning
What they're saying:
In a social media post, NCSO stated, "We probably shouldn't have to say this, but DUI laws apply to ALL motor vehicles...yes, including tractors. If you've been drinking, hand over the keys. All of them."
Unconfirmed crash details
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the exact time of day the initial crash took place or the specific identity of the driver. It remains unclear if the driver faces additional charges for leaving the scene of the initial single-vehicle accident before deputies arrived.
The Source: This article was written with information from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, which detailed the crash investigation as well as bodycam video that shows the driver arriving at the scene of the crash on a tractor.