A Daphne homeowner said she thought an explosion had gone off Thursday night when a car crashed through the front bedroom of her Lake Forest home, tearing out the wall and spraying water from broken pipes.
“It felt like a bomb had gone off, a literal explosion,” said Mary Halstead, who lives on Buena Vista Drive. “I opened my blinds and saw a bunch of water spraying, and then I saw the car. Oh my gosh, somebody crashed into my house.”
Daphne police say Austin Mamuscia, 32, was behind the wheel of a white Kia that struck the home and drove straight through the bedroom wall. According to Daphne Police Capt. Reginald Ardis, the first officer on scene found Mamuscia unresponsive in the driver’s seat. “The first officer made contact with the driver, and he was passed out in the seat,” Ardis said. “He attempted a sternum rub to wake him up, and he finally concluded that he might have been having a drug overdose based on some drug paraphernalia that he saw in plain sight.” Ardis said investigators believe Mamuscia was unconscious before the car left the roadway, noting that he never touched the brakes.
“The whole front of the house is non-existent, it’s gone,” Halstead said. “You can see the wall from that room is sitting right here in the yard.” While she works to clean up and repair the damage, Mamuscia made a court appearance facing charges including possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of synthetic urine, driving while suspended, no insurance, an expired tag and reckless driving. His bond was set at $41,000, and he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and remain under house arrest.
“He doesn’t need to be driving anymore,” Halstead said. “He needs to clean it up, and this needs to be a wake-up call for him to get off whatever he is on and taking.”
Alabama’s DUI Law
Alabama’s DUI statute covers not only alcohol but also any controlled substance or combination of substances that impairs a person’s ability to drive safely. A first DUI conviction in Alabama carries up to one year in jail, a fine of $600 to $2,100 and a 90-day license suspension, with penalties increasing for repeat offenses. The charges against Mamuscia are accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
