BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. (AP) -- A driver allegedly so drunk that he was ``catatonic'' at the wheel was rescued by police Thursday after his vehicle caught fire from sparks caused by the car's rims scraping against the pavement as it foundered along the highway.
Abel C. Flores, 31, of Bellport, was unable to stand or speak and smelled strongly of alcohol when he was yanked out of the burning car, said Suffolk County police Lt. Michael Murphy. Flores was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Flores' car was doing about 20 mph, weaving on its tire-less wheels and sending sparks flying along Sunrise Highway when Officer Paul Mercready pulled up alongside him at about 5 a.m.
As Mercready tried to force the car to pull over, Flores ran onto the highway's shoulder and continued driving at about 5 mph, Murphy said. When the car finally stopped it caught fire from the sparks.
Mercready smashed a window with his baton to pull an unconscious Flores out of the car, Murphy said. The officer described Flores' state as ``catatonic.''
Flores was uninjured, but Mercready cut his hand on glass from the broken window and was treated at a nearby hospital.
The fire, which had fully engulfed the car, was put out by the Brookhaven Fire Department.
