Cottonwood Heights police
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Police say they’re amazed no one was injured after a drunken driver caused a three-car accident. Investigators say the man’s blood-alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit.
Officers said Stanley Shane Gurule, 57, was driving a pickup truck at the drive-thru of McDonald’s, 7024 S. Highland Drive, about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Cottonwood Heights Police Lt. Dan Bartlett said the driver then ran the truck into the back of a Mercedes and pushed the car onto Highland Drive. A second car that was parked waiting for food was also hit, he said.
Bartlett said the driver then pressed both the gas pedal and brake at the same time, spun around and drove onto Highland Drive going backward.
“In busy traffic, he throws it into reverse and floors it,” Bartlett said.
Amazingly, the truck made it across six lanes of traffic without hitting anyone. It then entered the parking lot of Zions Bank, hit a sign and crashed into a 3-foot wall of an adjacent Starbucks.
During a field sobriety test conducted at the scene, police say Gurule’s blood alcohol content registered at 0.318, or nearly four times the legal limit.
No serious injuries were reported.
According to court records, Gurule was convicted of DUI in 2011 and ordered to have an interlock ignition device for a year.