A troubled Al Unser, Jr. faces legal charges once again after a he failed
several roadside sobriety tests in his hometown of Henderson, Nevada on
Thursday. Unser, Jr. was followed by local police to within a block of his
home following a hit and run accident in which he was involved.
Unser was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence,
Misdemeanor Hit and Run, Failure to Help, Failure to Report, and Unsafe
Lane Change in the incident according to Nevada state trooper Kevin Honea.
The arrest was made near the Black Mountain Country club only miles from
the Las Vegas Strip.
The driver of the other car, a Mazda sedan, swerved and hit a cement
barrier in the median of the highway as he and Unser traveled along the Las
Vegas Beltway mid-morning on Thursday. Unser apparently side-swiped the
driver and continued without stopping to assist or inquire of the other
party's safety afterwards.
A witness in a third car observed the incident and followed Unser's black
Ford Excursion SUV until Nevada state troopers stopped the 1992 and 1994
Indianapolis 500 winner alongside US Highway 95 freeway to investigate. The
other driver was uninjured in the incident. There was no damage to Unser's
vehicle.
Al Unser, Jr. faced embarrassing alcohol-related accusations in July, 2002
when his girlfriend accused him of punching her in the face and abandoning
her alongside a multi-lane Indianapolis highway at night. Unser entered
alcoholic rehabilitation and treatment of depression following the
incident. Prosecutors later dropped the charges of domestic battery against
him.
Unser, Jr. has been racing competitively since age 11. The forty-four year
old professional racing driver is one of only twenty men to hold multiple
Daytona 24 Hours victories (1986 and 1987) and won the Indianapolis 500
twice (1992 and 1994). He made a successful comeback recently in May of
2006, driving the "We The People" A1 Team USA open-wheel racer in the
Indianapolis 500 for the Dreyer & Reinbold racing team.
The two-time CART and IROC champion is the son of four-time Indy winner Al
Unser, Sr. and the nephew of three-time winner Bobby Unser.
Andrew Leavitt, a lawyer representing Unser, did not immediately respond
Friday to a message seeking comment.
