SCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —
“I really appreciate you keeping people like me off the street,” a 20-year-old man told troopers after drunkenly running a roadblock and crashing into a helicopter at the scene of a serious crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Troopers were already at the scene attending to a pedestrian who was hit by a Jeep on U.S. 192 near State Road 429.
At about 1:41 a.m., a vehicle driven by Cameron Brian Sunderly swerved through emergency vehicles set up as a roadblock and smashed into the tail rotor of the helicopter, investigators said.
When additional troopers arrived, they found a man close to tears pacing back and forth near the crash scene, an FHP incident report said.
I really appreciate you keeping people like me off the street. — Driver of car that hit helicopter, according to FHP.The man, only identified as Chris, told the trooper that his friend had hit the helicopter as they were driving home from Applebee’s.
Sunderly was still inside the vehicle when the trooper approached him and asked if he’d been injured in the crash.
“I could immediately detect the obvious odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath as he spoke,” the trooper said in the report.
Sunderly was incoherent and the trooper had to ask several times and explain in detail what a field sobriety test was before he agreed to do it, the report said.
As part of standard questioning, the trooper asked if Sunderly if he wore glasses or contacts. When the man said he wore contacts, the trooper asked if they changed the color of his eyes.
“No, blue all day, baby,” Sunderly replied, according to the report.
Sunderly was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, refusal to obey a police officer and reckless driving.
He was being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of bonds totaling $1,600.
The pedestrian injured in the initial crash was taken to the hospital by other means. The person, who was not identified, was listed in critical condition.
