Risk Management Magazine

I am the supervisor of a field maintenance shop and have been in the military for more than 20 years. Driving and riding in automobiles and trucks is an everyday occurrence. What happened on this day, however, forever changed my view of driving.

While being a good Samaritan and responding to those in need may be instinctual for those of us in uniform, there are dangers and risks we are likely to encounter. I thought I kept myself well prepared to respond to civilian accidents until one day I decided to stop at a vehicle rollover on Interstate 5 in the middle of Portland, Oregon.

When the night finally ended, my buddy asked, “Are you OK to drive?” Despite the amount of alcohol I drank, I thought I felt fine and believed my blood alcohol concentration was under the legal limit. I am embarrassed to say I was wrong, which I found out when I was pulled over by the local police and later arrested for driving under the influence.