After a serious accident involving a drunk driver, bicyclist Steven Otto has been released from WakeMed of Raleigh, according to a hospital employee.
Otto, a senior in chemistry, was riding his bicycle before being hit by Ross Chapman, who was driving with a BAC of .12.
Chapman, sophomore in civil engineering, is charged with two crimes according to Lieutenant David Kelly of Campus Police.
“[Chapman] was charged with two motor vehicle violations, one which is a standard driving while impaired offense, which is charging anyone with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more,” Kelly said.
Kelly said that a separate charge was given to Chapman because of his age.
“The second offense he was charged with is what is called a provisional licensee driving while impaired. That is for anyone who is under the age of 21 and is driving with any amount of alcohol in their system,” Kelly said.
Although Campus Police is finished dealing with the incident, Chapman faces a separate investigation by state Alcohol Law Enforcement.
“We’ve actually completed our investigation into the incident,” Kelly said. “I do know that the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agency is conducting an investigation into the alcohol-related offense involving the purchasing of the alcohol and who was in possession of it throughout the evening.”
Chapman, who remains out of jail, was released the evening of his arrest, but will most likely face charges from Student Conduct. He could also face charges from Otto if he chooses to file civil action against Chapman.
“[Chapman] was released that evening, he was placed under an unsecured bond and given a written promise, so he was not actually incarcerated where he had to post bond that night,” Kelly said.
Due to FERPA , a law protecting students’ information, Student Conduct was unable to provide information regarding Chapman’s possible charges.
Kelly said while checking on Otto’s condition throughout the week, a positive change took place every day. Now, according to Wak Med of Raleigh, Otto has been released.
“Mr. Otto’s condition has been improving. Every few days, [his condition] has been downgraded,” Kelly said.
Although Otto’s official condition is still unknown, his release indicates a very positive recovery. He is lucky, as many students have died in drinking-related accidents over the past few years.
Barbara Blackburn, spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Raleigh, said the best course of action is to abstain from alcohol, especially for those who are not of-age.
“Drinking makes you impaired, and therefore you can’t make good decisions as far as driving,” Blackburn said. “I assume that [Chapman] would not have had this crash if he wouldn’t have been drinking.”
Blackburn said when students do drink, they need to make plans ahead of time before they go out.
“The take-away is to make a plan before you go out drinking if you’re of age, and decide what you’re going to do before you go out drinking,” Blackburn said.
Blackburn, who insisted underage students should not drink, regardless of whether operating a vehicle or not, said no one ever plans to hurt someone, but that students need to be aware of their actions before they are uncontrollable.
“No one would go out and say they are going to kill someone on a Saturday night, but when you start drinking you may think you’re okay, and you’re not okay,” Blackburn said. “The idea is to decide what you’re going to do before you start drinking.”
Blackburn said that drinking and driving could be avoided easily through planning.
“Either have a telephone number of a cab company available, [or] have a friend as a designated driver that promises not to drink,” Blackburn said. “The bottom line is, have a plan before you start partying.”