well, he was driving .....

(CNN) -- An Ohio man says he is seeking a jury trial on a charge of driving under the influence that was slapped on him after he crashed the vehicle he was piloting -- a barstool. The barstool was welded to a small metal frame attached to a five-horsepower lawnmower engine.

The barstool was welded to a small metal frame attached to a five-horsepower lawnmower engine.

"It was just an accident. I mean a little minor accident," Kile Wygle, 28, explained in an interview this week with CNN affiliate WSYX.

His homemade vehicle was made from a barstool welded to a small metal frame attached to a five-horsepower lawnmower engine, four wheels and a lawnmower steering wheel, according to the Newark, Ohio, police accident report.

Officers responding to a report of a crash with injuries March 4 said they found Wygle nursing his injuries and highly intoxicated. According to the police report, when asked how much he had had to drink, Wygle responded, "a lot."

He crashed during his attempt at a U-turn while speeding down the street in front of his home -- a daring move from atop the specialized barstool even for the most nimble and sober of men. Measuring 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, and after having consumed what he later told an officer was 15 beers, Wygle appeared to be neither.

He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. advertisement

According to the police report, Wygle claims his unique vehicle can reach a speed of 38 miles per hour, though at the time of the crash he was going around 20.

He entered a plea of not guilty.

since he admitted many things, i'm guessing that his only hope is to prove that a motorized barstool isn't recognized as a motor vehicle. would he get popped for rollerblading while intoxicated if he had a westside most spectacular failure moment?

AngryCorvair wrote: ...would he get popped for rollerblading while intoxicated if he had a westside most spectacular failure moment?

Actually, yes. Bicycling too. And riding electric wheelchairs (albeit, that guy fell asleep in an intersection).

A friend of mine got popped for walking intoxicated after he opted to do the right thing and leave his car at the pub and walk home. Now that's a berkeley-up of justice.

When I was 15, a friend and I got popped for driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle without licences. It was a field car, we had to go a block up the road to get to the field.

$1500 fine, up to a year in jail and you don't get your license until you're 25. Ronnie's Mom showed up and bitchslapped him all over the back of the cop car and we were let go.

Maybe Mr. Wygle did OK.

How in the ever loving hell do you get a walking while intoxicated?!?!? If he's making the right choice to not drive the shiny happy person cop should have just given him a lift home! Did he go to court to fight it?

There was once a rash of WWIs in East Lansing a few years back. It hit the paper and there was great debate over wether MSU would prefer to pay to keep the transit lines open until 4:00 am the tickets stopped.

P71 wrote: How in the ever loving hell do you get a *walking* while intoxicated?!?!? If he's making the right choice to not drive the shiny happy person cop should have just given him a lift home! Did he go to court to fight it?

I'm sure it varies by location, but around here you can get a ticket for public intoxication. I'm sure the intent is to ticket someone who's being a drunken shiny happy person, but not otherwise breaking any other laws, but it does get abused. Total bullE36 M3.

Also, what's this world coming to when you can't get hammered and drive a home built barstool in front of your house? Is fun now illegal?

P71 wrote: How in the ever loving hell do you get a *walking* while intoxicated?!?!? If he's making the right choice to not drive the shiny happy person cop should have just given him a lift home! Did he go to court to fight it?

I've tried that. The issue ends up being that the officer did in fact ticket you for something you did, and there's no way to make it sound better than it really was, without admitting that you were, in fact, intoxicated.

Yes, you made the right choice not to drive, but the officer chose to bone you over something else.

Your success may vary depending on the judge, of course.

They don't care if you made the right choice, though, they just want their money.

I've heard of a guy that lost his license for DUI and got a second one when he rode his horse to the bar... he got hammered and passed out at the bar. Bartender slings him over the back of the horse, and unties the horse. Horse walks the 1/4 mile back to its barn... Guy wakes up in the pokey. DUI second offense.

There was a case of a guy who was cutting his grass with a riding mower and had a few while doing so. He ran out of beer and realized he had a buzz so he drove said lawnmower down the street to the convenience store and bought some beer. he then rode the mower back to his house and a cop followed him, then hit him with the blues just as he was turning into his drive. Yep, DUI.

A friends employee got busted a few months ago. Had driven his riding mower two doors down the mow an elderly mans yard. Cut the mans grass and had a few drinks with the man after he finished. Hopped on the mower to take it home. Had a beer in his hand and got popped for open container and DUI. Got the charges dropped, but it cost him over 2 grand for the lawyer. Typical small town BS.

these stories are reminding me of this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeMrn_NWoc4