A Fruitland Park man was taken into custody for DUI after crashing head-on with a car in the opposing lane while clinically intoxicated.
An officer was driving south on U.S. Hwy. 441 when he noticed a white Nissan heading north in the southbound lanes at 2:15 a.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Eustis Police Department. The motorist, later identified as 26-year-old Daniel Anthony Ardolino, crashed head-on with a gray Honda as a result.
Other cops arrived shortly after the incident and found the Honda facing west in the southbound lanes, with smoke coming from the hood. The Nissan was located south of the Honda and faced west. The report stated that both suffered serious front-end damage.
An officer approached the Nissan and saw Ardolino unresponsive in the driver’s seat, his head resting against the steering wheel. All of the doors were locked, so the officer hammered on the windows many times. Ardolino moaned in pain and shifted his head toward the driver’s side window, allowing the officer to view active bleeding on the right side of his skull, the report stated.
Ardolino was unresponsive to his demands, continuing to moan and babble incoherently. The officer continuously requested him to unlock and open the door, to which he replied many times that he was attempting to open it. However, he did not attempt to use the door handle, instead fumbling with stuff in his lap and waist, according to the report.
After receiving several instructions, he finally unlocked and opened his door. He instantly said that he had not been driving, which was absolutely incorrect given that another officer had witnessed the incident, according to the report.
Ardolino remained seated, his slacks resting just over his knees and his shoes removed. Those, along with his wallet and phone, were on the driver’s side floorboard. He had blood flowing from his very shiny eyes. He also had a bewildered, puzzled countenance and spoke in slurred, muted, and difficult-to-understand words. According to the report, he smelled heavily of alcohol when chatting with officers.
The other motorist had a big wound on his forehead that measured three inches broad and three inches long. It seemed deep, with the skull bone exposed, and it was actively bleeding. His right ankle appeared to be shattered as well, with a twisted appearance and significant swelling. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where medical workers informed him that his head injury included a skull fracture, the report stated.
Meanwhile, Ardolino was ignorant that he had been in an accident. He constantly complained of hand discomfort while being examined by medical workers on the site. According to the complaint, his pants stayed below his buttocks, and he appeared to be unaware that they were about to fall off.
At this point, an officer discovered two small baggies in the driver’s side door compartment. One contained marijuana, the other 3.3 grams of cocaine. The report also stated that a small bottle of Patron tequila was found on the Nissan’s front passenger-side floorboard.
Lake EMS ultimately transported Ardolino to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital, which is located at 1000 Waterman Way in Tavares. Officers stayed with him while he repeatedly requested a phone call to an attorney. His speech was still slurred, so medical personnel had to ask him to repeat himself numerous times. An officer also declined his request for a phone call at the time, which irritated him. He said the other motorist hit him, according to the report.
The lead nurse then informed Ardolino that medical staff needed to administer him an IV, but he refused, claiming he would pass out. More professionals attempted to convey to him the significance of an IV and the fact that he was clinically drunk. He continued to dispute with them and disregarded several medical directions, according to the report.
He denied being intoxicated, even after the nurse indicated that she could smell alcohol on his person. EMS staff informed her that he acknowledged drinking earlier in the evening while being transported to the hospital. However, she was able to extract numerous blood samples from him, according to the article.
A criminal history check revealed one misdemeanor citation in 2023, as well as charges from the Leesburg Police Department , including two counts of felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell, synthetic narcotics with intent to sell, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana with intent to sell and deliver. Lady Lake charged him with various narcotics possessions in 2023, but the accusations were later dropped, according to the article.
Ardolino was detained for allegedly possessing cocaine and drug paraphernalia in connection with this event. He was taken to the Lake County Jail and freed after posting a $6,000 bond.
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