Compact The condition of the drunk quickly worsened that evening. He’d apparently had more to drink than usual and began losing control shortly after his pit stop. The first can of beer was still half full when he lost his grip on it and it fell to the floor. The spilled beer puddled on the grease-stained floor mat under his feet. A short time later Doyle lost his grip on a lighted cigarette. It went out as it fell into the puddle of beer.
The drunk was chain smoking cigarettes and swilling beer from the second can of Old Milwaukee while trying to keep the car on the road. In a futile effort to clear his head Doyle was driving with the windows open to the cold air, and the radio blasting out country music.
Despite his drunken haze Doyle spotted the turnoff to the River Road on his left and negotiated the turn, but the tires on the right side of the car dipped into the shoulder. The drunk’s refusal to wear a seat belt meant a jarring ride along the gravel. Bouncing on the front seat, Doyle felt his stomach rebelling against the beer. He tried to slow the car so he could pull over, but ran out of time. He threw up across the passenger seat and the dashboard.