Close Call: Oklahoma man’s near miss with drunk driver highlights DUI dangers

A Sand Springs man says he was almost hit by a drunk driver this week and after the driver passed him, he crashed and it was all caught on dash cam video.

Q: What happened to Joey Johnson this week?

A: Joey Johnson had a close call with a drunk driver while he was driving home from a basketball game. The driver nearly hit him and several other drivers before crashing into a light pole and a boat. The entire incident was caught on Joey's dashcam.

Q: How does Joey feel about the close call?

A: Joey says he's thankful to be alive, especially since he has a 17-year-old son who drives. He worries that his son could one day face a similar dangerous situation, where a drunk driver could end his life in an instant.

Q: What did Joey see on the road as the drunk driver approached?

A: Joey describes the drunk driver as speeding and swerving in and out of traffic. He thought the driver was going to either crash into another car or drive off the road entirely.

Q: How did the drunk driver end up crashing?

A: The driver crossed multiple lanes of traffic on Highway 59 before slamming into a light pole and a parked boat in a parking lot.

Q: What did Joey witness after the crash?

A: Joey reported that the driver's front windshield was shattered, and the car was pinned against the light pole, preventing the driver from getting out. There was also a lot of debris on the road, making the situation tense for other drivers.

Q: What happened to the drunk driver?

A: Grove police arrested the driver, Carl Burton, for DUI. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol when they pulled him out of the vehicle.

   Records show that Carl Burton had just been released from prison in November after serving seven years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is also still serving eight years of a      suspended sentence in that case.

Q: What does Joey think about drunk driving?

A: As a former police officer, Joey has had to deliver heartbreaking news to many families. He believes that, with all the resources available today, there's no excuse for anyone to drive drunk. He’s thankful the crash didn't result in a head-on collision or worse.

Q: What are the statistics on alcohol-related crashes in Oklahoma?

A: According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, alcohol-related crashes cause injuries to 2,500 people and kill more than 200 people every year in the state.