Raymond C. Jakubielski, a 66-year-old resident of Woodfern Place in Palm Coast, was driving south on Pine Lakes Parkway Thursday evening at 6:15, at the wheel of a 2004 Ford Focus. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, he was drunk.
Right past Westhampton Drive, and before Woodhaven Drive, Jakubielski swerved into Hunt’s northbound lane, on the two-lane, heavily trafficked feeder road. The two cars collided.
The left front side of Jakubielski’s Ford struck the left-front side of Hunt’s Saturn, and sent the Saturn spinning out of control, toward the north, skidding onto the grass and finally ending in a ditch, facing south. The car was further–and severely–damaged as it sank into the ditch. Hunt escaped without injuries. The car itself sustained $8,000 in damages. He was unaccompanied in the car.
Jakubielski continued south in the northbound lane, forcing another vehicle to swerve to avoid another collision. Jakubielski finally brought his Ford to a stop facing south, in the northbound lane, at the intersection of Pine Lakes and Woodhaven Drive.
The Palm Coast Fire Police closed the northbound lane for an hour after the crash as FHP investigated, and Flagler County Fire Rescue and the Palm Coast Fuire Department tended to the drivers. Jakubielski suffered only minor injuries (his car sustained $10,000 in damages). He was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler for treatment, then arrested on a drunk driving charge, with property damage, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.
The Fire Police’s re-routing prevented major back-ups. Bond was set at $500 for Jakubielski, who bonded out. His arraignment before Flagler County Court Judge Sharon Atack is scheduled for Dec. 11 at 9 a.m. He was also cited for driving in the wrong lane, and owes a fine of $166. He does not have any prior records locally, including any other traffic citations.
gator says
he could have killed the young man,thay need to charge the bar he was at ,for serving him, knowing he was not able to drive,
The Geode says
I didn’t see any mention of a “bar” in this story. Just WHEN are people supposed to be accountable for THEIR own actions? EVERYTHING that an individual does is NOT the fault of someone else. While you’re at it, blame the kid for having the nerve for being on the same road as a drunk driver….
W's Bound says
Drunk drivers are common along Pine Lakes Parkway especially after dark. Tail-gaters too. Just last night at around 9pm, a maroon-colored older model sedan traveled only 20 mph from traffic light at Belle Terre southbound to White Mill or further….weaving side-to-side in lane. Old guy with big head of grey unkept hair. Just be careful Palm Coast…there are more scary and dangerous drivers on the road than you would believe. Drive defensively.
Nancy N. says
When are they going to file the leaving the scene charge that this guy also clearly earned?
Deep South says
They need to start revoking licenses. Don’t these people realize that driving is a privilege and not a necessity
Prescient33 says
It is not uncommon for a car to continue on for bit after a collision. The whole scene was in a small area, about a city block-where’s the “leaving the scene?” Just how far could he have gone with his left front tire destroyed as shown in the picture? It’s amazing how people can read a news account, hearsay at best, and second guess the officers’ actions at the scene of the accident.
Further, a driver’s license is a privilege, not a RIGHT. For many of us it is a necessity, but that doesn’t give us a “right” to one, a fact obscured in the illegal immigrant debate.
Nancy N. says
Under Florida state law, Mr. Jakubielski’s license was suspended automatically the moment the DUI charge was filed against him.
As for revoking “these people’s” licenses, there’s a first time for everything. Mr. Jakubielski, as noted in the article, apparently has no previous traffic offenses of any kind. So until someone invents a time machine to travel to the future to tell us that someone is going to commit an offense…
mark says
Don’t forget the company that made the booze too. How about the drunk’s parents’ too? Maybe the lawmakers that allow drinking? How about the people that layed the asphalt and painted the lines on the road?
I know it is a difficult concept to grasp, but why don’t we hold the person responsible, responsible, period!
Nancy N. says
A city block is PLENTY distance to earn a leaving the scene charge. At least in St. John’s County. My husband has the 5 year probation sentence to prove it.