Police: Man, 36, Charged with DUI After SUV Overturns on Post Rd

An intoxicated man driving an SUV on the Post Road from a Stamford bar one night in January hit the curb, then a tree near the intersection with Lighthouse Way, resulting in his vehicle turning over on its side, police said.

Police gave this further account (an accusation not proven in court) of the incident, which was initially reported just after midnight on Jan. 23:

Michael Baldwin of Canterbury Lane in Wilton was driving his 2008 Subaru Outback when he said he saw a deer on the roadway and swerved to avoid it, hitting the curb the tree and finally the roadway itself when his SUV turned on its right side. Baldwin said that was all he remembered until police came.

It came to rest on the right eastbound lane of the Post Road. The incident was repoted to police at 12:02 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23. Darien EMS-Post 53 ambulance took Baldwin to the hospital.

Baldwin was the only person in the SUV. As a result of the accident, a tree was torn out of the ground and a fence was damaged.

Police smelled alcohol on Baldwin’s breath, but because he was taken to the hospital, no field sobriety tests or breath tests were taken.

Instead, police applied for and received a search warrant to check hospital records of his alcohol level. When that information showed his blood-alcohol content was above the 0.08 state limit for driving, police obtained an arrest warrant.

Police told Baldwin they had the warrant, and on March 20 he came to Darien Police Headquarters, his arrest was processed and he was released on $250 bond. He was scheduled to appear Tuesday in state Superior Court in Stamford.