A 59-year-old Swiss national was involved in a single-vehicle accident that resulted in the car catching on fire in Jimbaran, South Kuta early this morning, police said, adding that the foreigner was found to be under the influence of alcohol during the incident.
“He’s in good condition now. He was drunk [while driving],” Muh Nurul Yaqin, a spokesman from the Denpasar Police, told Kompas.com.
Yaqin said that the incident took place a little after midnight on Bypass Ngurah Rai Street, near Udayana University.
“It’s a single, ‘out of control’ accident that took place around 12.15am because the driver was drunk and swerved while driving,” Yaqin said.
The Swiss national, identified by his initials UK, reportedly drove his car into a concrete road divider, causing the vehicle to catch on fire. Thankfully, UK did not sustain any injuries, though he was immediately taken to the local hospital after the accident.
Police estimated the material loss in the incident stood at around IDR100million (US$7,138).
UK could potentially be charged with articles on negligence while driving under Indonesia’s 2009 Law on Traffic and Road Vehicles, which carries a maximum one year imprisonment.
Article 311, for example, contains a clause on deliberate negligence while driving, which, in the past, have been argued to include DUIs.
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