A Florida woman who needed help backing out of a parking space wound up with a damaged vehicle and a trip to the hospital, The Tampa Bay Times reported. That's because the good Samaritan helping her was allegedly drunk and hit her while driving the car into a nearby Tiki bar.
Beatrice Cahenzli, 55, parked her 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in an alley near the Thirsty Marlin Grill and Bar in Palm Harbor on Friday night, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said. When she left the establishment, Cahenzli was unable to back out of her parking spot. Duane Wagner, 59, who deputies described as an acquaintance of Cahenzli, offered to help, the Times reported.
According to deputies, Wagner put the car in reverse, stepped on the gas pedal and hit a utility pole. He then shifted the car into drive and hit Cahenzli. Wagner kept going, striking a 6-foot wooden fence at the Thirsty Marlin and hitting four people who were in the outside part of the bar, the Times reported.
Wagner told the deputies he confused the brake and gas pedals, the Times reported. A breath test revealed that his blood alcohol content was above the legal limit, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Wagner was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence and driving while license permanently revoked, the Times reported. His driver’s license had been permanently revoked in 2009 after two DUI convictions, the newspaper reported.
Cahenzli was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening injuries. Wagner also hit Jennifer Schutt, 71, of Clearwater. The three other people hit refused medical attention, the Times reported.
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