Skip to main content

Sometimes I see a news story that I know is true, but it’s so wild that I struggle to believe it. And as often as not it involves a Florida man. Well Florida man may have outdone himself yet again when he tried to pick a fight with a woman at a stoplight. But when your blood alcohol concentration is .22, things can go sideways fast.

Joseph H. Carl is a 48-year-old Florida man who was driving his Dodge Ram 1500 in the rain one Tuesday night. According to The Gainesville Sun, at about 7 pm he ran into another vehicle that was waiting at a stoplight.

This would have been a great time to get out, apologize, trade insurance info, and deal with the entire mess another day. But that’s not what Joseph Carl did. According to early reports, he jumped out and began yelling at the other driver.

He was so angry and violent, the woman in the other car panicked and drove away. That’s when Carl’s Ram began rolling into the intersection. He realized he’d forgotten to put it in park.

Now this would have been a great time to get away from the rolling truck and protect himself. But that’s not what Joseph Carl did. He threw himself in front of his truck, trying to stop it. Of course the curb weight of a truck, even a small two-door model, is over 4,500 pounds. And whatever he tells his friends, Carl wasn’t strong enough to push it back up the hill. In fact, his truck ran right over him.

A cop using his radio
Officer standing near police car | iStock

Police and paramedics responded to the scene and found Carl wasn’t taking it easy by any measure. Reports say he was stumbling around the intersection and smelled like alcohol. So this would have been a great time to come clean and tell police exactly what happened. But that’s not what Joseph Carl did.

Carl insisted he does not drink and drive. Later, he claimed he was returning from a neighboring town where he’d had three beers. He failed the field sobriety test and refused the breathalyzer test, so police searched his truck under suspicion of drunk driving. They found it full of empty beer cans, with a cold 16 oz Miller High Life still in the cupholder.

When his arrest looked imminent, Carl complained his foot hurt. Police took him to the hospital where he was treated for a fractured foot and hand. His blood-alcohol concentration was tested at .22. That’s triple the .08 legal limit. Carl was then arrested for both DUI and DUI with property damage.

Best in Trucks
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.