Many states have laws governing DUI offenses for people with a commercial driver’s license. In California, the cutoff for blood-alcohol level for drivers with a CDL is .04%. This BAC is in effect even when the person is driving their own personal vehicle. Aside from an alcohol-related DUI, California now also has to contend with marijuana-related DUIs. Getting a DUI with a CDL can cause the person to lose their CDL license for up to a year, and depending on the circumstances, it can be lost for longer than that.
ABC 30 reports that a Greyhound bus driver has been sent to prison and passengers have filed a lawsuit after he was arrested for DUI while driving the bus.
29-year-old Ashton Carillo was sentenced to more than two years in prison. Unfortunately for Carillo, the criminal consequences aren’t the only troubles he has to face.
Carillo showed up two hours late to drive 38 passengers from Sacramento to Los Angeles. Passengers stated that he could barely open his eyes.
Sometime before the bus got to Fresno, the driver had already been swerving for miles and bounced off a concrete embankment between Highway 99 and Highway 180. Finally, the bus got wedged into a dirt hill.
11 of the 38 passengers suffered injuries, but none of them were serious.
Police discovered that the driver was lethargic and confused. His eyes were also bloodshot. During a search of his belongings, they discovered two packages of marijuana-infused cookies and a package of marijuana-infused candies. Carillo admitted he had eaten them prior to driving.
On Wednesday, Carillo admitted to felony DUI. A judge sentenced him to two years in prison.
In addition, 4 of the passengers have filed a lawsuit against both Carillo and Greyhound. Two days before the trip, Greyhound had been notified that Carillo’s license had been suspended on a failure to appear charge.