Windsor woman wishes she called police 'right away' before witnessing vehicle collision

Melanie St. Louis says she wishes she had called police before witnessing an allegedly impaired driver get into a vehicle collision on Tecumseh Road Sunday evening.

Instead, St. Louis who had been driving home from work followed the vehicle and checked on the driver after the car crashed into a curb.

"As soon as he opens the door, I [could] just smell the alcohol," she said. "You didn't even have to talk, you could just smell it right away."

St. Louis said she spoke with the driver andeven attempted to "grab his keys" at one point. However, she said she left after the driver said he planned on staying where his car was parked.

It was only after thedriver later drove past her that she called police.

The vehicle was later involved in an accident with a van at the intersection of Tecumseh Road and Westminster Avenue.

"I wish that I called right away, and I didn't," said St. Louis. "Next time, I know. People don't deserve second chances I was wrong for trusting him."

'We don't encourage anybody to get involved'

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Windsor-Essex community leader Chaouki Hamka said he doesn't fault St. Louis for her decision-making Sunday evening.

"She thought about safety. There was somebody on the road who was suspected impaired," he said. "What I think ended up happening was she took it into her own hands, which the instincts are correct."

Still, Hamka said MADD encourages the public to pull over to the side of the road and call 911 if they suspect a driver might be impaired.

"We don't encourage anybody to get involved," he said. "This is the police's work, this is the police's job, to go out there and tackle impaired drivers."

Hamka said aperson who is driving erratically isn't necessarily impaired it could be a medical emergency, distracted driving or another issue.

"Depending who that person is, depending on the level of impairment that person is under, it's not safe for anybody to approach a vehicle that's driving erratically or try to even talk to that person," said Hamka.

Hamka said St. Louis's specific case is rare.

"I've never been in a situation where that's happened," said Hamka. "I've never heard of it happening before."

He said communities need to work together to tackle impaired driving, adding that preventing impaired driving is about individual and public safety.

... it's not safe for anybody to approach a vehicle that's driving erratically ...- Chaouki Hamka, MADD Windsor-Essex community leader

However, he reiterated that regular citizens should alert law enforcement if they suspect a driver might be impaired.

"For civilians we want them to join the fight against impaired driving, but do not physically go and try to stop anybody yourself, because number one you don't have the authority to do that, but again, you're putting yourself at a potential risk depending on that person," he said.

Windsor police echoed Hamka's advice, saying "citizens are always encouraged to pull over and call 911 if they suspect a drunk driver."