COOPER CITY, Fla. – A Cooper City man faces charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide after he ran over his neighbor who was walking his dog last month, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
Michael Smith was arrested on DUI charges shortly after the Sept. 11 crash, but BSO deputies arrested him Wednesday on additional charges.
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BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said Robert Wimpey, 52, was walking his dog early in the morning when Smith's Hyundai Sonata veered off the road and onto the sidewalk, striking Wimpey.
Wimpey was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he remained until he was pronounced dead 10 days later.
According to a BSO affidavit, Smith told a deputy that he sneezed while driving and "almost had an asthma attack" when his car struck Wimpey. However, the affidavit said Smith's eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and there was an odor of alcohol on his breath.
Detectives spoke to several witnesses who said that Smith had been drinking with his wife and friends at Beef O'Brady's on the evening of Sept. 10. Detectives said Smith then drove to Beyond Billiards, where he continued to drink and refused to let friends take him home.
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