Lawrence Taylor, former Giants’ linebacker was arrested on Saturday night, September 3, 2016, in Palm Beach after he allegedly hit a motor home and then sideswiped a cop car that was parked on the shoulder of the Florida Turnpike. According to the police report, when the officer asked LT if he had anything to drink, LT responded, “Apparently too much.” As a former prosecutor, I can tell you that admission along with the trooper’s on-scene observations and LT’s failed field sobriety tests do not bode well for him. Also, almost five hours after the accident, LT was found to have blood-alcohol level of .082 and .084. The legal limit in Florida is .08. Toxicologists assert that, on average, for every hour that passes from the time a person stops drinking, the blood-alcohol level drops by .015 percent. So, clearly 5 plus hours earlier, LT’s blood alcohol level was substantially higher. So maybe you’re thinking LT, with his less than stellar legal history (He has been arrested multiple times, has spent time in jail and has admitted to problems with drugs, among other things.) should have said NO when asked to perform roadside tests or to having his blood alcohol level tested but that would not have been a wise choice. Florida, like most states has an “Implied Consent Law” which basically says that when you sign for your drivers license you agree to take a blood, urine or breath tests if you are pulled over and asked to do so. Refusal to take any of the tests results in an immediate one year suspension of your license. Not likely LT was thinking of the “Implied Consent Rule” at the time of the test request, especially with that .084 limit so many hours after drinking; actually not likely he was thinking about much. The only silver lining for this linebacker? No one was hurt in the accident.
Just so you know, as a native New Yorker, I was always a huge LT fan and find this pretty sad all around.