Swimmer Michael Phelps is Charged with DUI in Maryland

Drunk driving is a scourge of our society that accounts for thousands of deaths every year.

It’s therefore, particularly upsetting when people who we hold us as role models are arrested for DUIs. The latest celebrity to face a DUI charge is Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps who has been arrested on a DUI charge in Maryland, according to WAVY.com.

Transit police reported they stopped the 29-year-old swimmer at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore around 1:40 a.m. Tuesday. According to Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Phelps was reporting to be driving at 84 mph in a 45-mph zone. Police say officers stopped Phelps had just past a toll plaza.

The swimmer was later charged with driving under the influence and excessive speed. He was released after his arrest. WAVY.com reported the arrest was Phelps’ second DUI charge in Maryland. The swimmer is a native of Baltimore County. He faced a DUI charge in 2004 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Phelps is a role model as the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 Olympic medals. It’s sad that he should make headlines in this fashion. As Virginia DUI accident lawyers, we are well aware of the dangers of alcohol and excess speed.

Other celebrities to be charged with DUIs include:

• Kevin Hart. The actor was reported to have narrowly avoided a collision with a tanker truck.
• County music star Randy Travis who pleaded guilty to a DUI in Texas.
• Actress Lindsay Lohan whose criminal record includes a DUI and driving on a suspended license.

Driving under the influence of alcohol causes accidents, injury, death and misery. Virginia allows drunk driving victims to recover punitive damages under special circumstances in cases in which a drunk driver refused to take a test or have a BAC of .15% or above.

If you have been hurt by the actions of a drunk driver, call Cooper Hurley at 757.455.0077 or see CooperHurley.com. Cooper Hurley is the author of Top Twenty Tips for Car, Truck or Motorcycle Accidents. Always be sure you have sufficient insurance in case you are hurt in a car crash.