The Liberty
Township motorist who drove his Toyota Scion under the rear end of a box
truck on Ind. 49 early Friday morning was driving drunk, Chesterton Police
said.
According to
police, at 1:04 a.m. Eric A. Gunia, 26, of 87 E. Long Lake Road, was
northbound on Ind. 49 when, just north of Gateway Blvd., he rear-ended the
box truck, wedging his Scion beneath it, in a collision which caused his
car’s engine compartment to ignite.
Gunia succeeded in
exiting his Scion uninjured, as did the trucker, Ernest E. Miller, 51, of
Gary, who on impact pulled his 2003 Freightliner onto the shoulder, pulling
the Scion with him, police said.
Chesterton
firefighters responded to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze with
minimal damage to Miller’s truck,
Police said that
Gunia--who admitted having consumed “four high alcohol-content beverages
prior to driving”--showed signs of intoxication, failed several field
sobriety tests, and subsequently registered a blood alcohol content of .209
percent on a certified chemical test. Motorists in Indiana are considered
legally intoxicated when they score a B.A.C. of .08 percent or higher.
Gunia--who was
issued a citation for speed too fast to avoid a collision and following too
closely--was transported to Porter County Jail.