A New York man faces many counts after deputies say he smashed into another vehicle while intoxicated and fled the scene late Friday night.
Just before midnight, deputies were dispatched to Big Horn Drive in Palm Coast to investigate a hit-and-run. The victim informed police that the man who hit his vehicle appeared inebriated or disoriented before racing away in a Chevrolet truck.
Flagler County deputies began investigating the surrounding area and soon discovered a truck matching the description on Belle Terre Parkway. Deputies stopped the vehicle after they noticed it weaving in and out of its travel lane.
Deputies identified the driver as Dariuz Knapik, 59, from Woodbridge, New York. When deputies spoke with him, they saw that he smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and struggled to maintain his footing.
After conducting an initial evaluation of the collision, deputies moved on to a driving under the influence inquiry. Knapik struggled to follow directions during field sobriety tests, failing to complete several of them.
“This guy was clearly too drunk to be behind the wheel, as he caused a crash then fled the scene,” Sheriff Rick Staly told reporters. “He’s lucky nobody was hurt or killed, and he earned himself a trip to the Green Roof Inn to sober up.”
Deputies arrested Knapik for DUI and DUI causing property damage. They took him to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he agreed to undergo two breath tests. His blood alcohol content was 0.183 on the first sample and 0.190 on the second, more than double Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.
Knapik was admitted to the facility and later got out after posting a $2,000 bond.
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