Ringling Bridge Crash: Driver Charged with DUI

SARASOTA, FL — A 40-year-old Bradenton man faces three counts of DUI with property damage in connecting with a June crash on Sarasota’s John Ringling Bridge. Police announced the man’s arrest Friday after test results came back from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that showed he had a blood alcohol level of more than four times the legal limit.

Norman Barlay was “driving carelessly” over the bridge around 11:15 a.m. June 25, the Sarasota Police Department wrote in an email to media. At Bird Key Park, police say, Barlay performed a U-turn to head eastbound and proceeded to drive with a flat tire.

“As Barlay drove eastbound, the truck he was driving sideswiped the raised concrete wall multiple times,” the email said. Once he cleared the bridge, police say Barlay ran through the landscaped median, ran into oncoming traffic and hit a westbound Cadillac. About 300 feet further down the road, police say he struck a Pontiac Grand Prix.

The crash closed the bridge for about four hours.

Samples of Barlay’s blood were sent to the FDLE lab for testing. Police say they came back this week with .324 and .329 results. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.

Barlay was being held in the Sarasota County Jail Friday in lieu of $60,000 bond.

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office