Firefighter Faces DWI Charge in Boston Massachusetts

A Boston firefighter was recently charged with numerous offenses, including drunken driving, negligence and speeding after taking part in a car accident in West Roxbury that contributed to the injuries of another driver.

Vernon Tiger Allen plead not guilty to all three charges in a West Roxbury District Court, and was released shortly thereafter on his own recognizance. Allen, who is 43, was said to be driving between 45 and 50 miles per hour when he broadsided an Acura Sedan with his vehicle at around 2:30 in the morning on Sunday. According to a police report, his on scene breath analysis test indicated that his blood alcohol content was a .14, when the legal limit within the state of Massachusettes is only .08.

Allen has been a firefighter in Boston since 1989. He told state troopers that he had just finished a shift two hours earlier, and had consumed two beers with friends shortly after. His shift was ten hours long, according to Fire officials.

The other driver, Ryan Surprenant is 27 and from Madison, Connecticut. He was trapped in his car for a substantial amount of time before he could be transported to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. According to officials at the Suffolk district attorney's office, Surprenant may also face charges of running a red light and driving under the influence of alcohol.

It has been said that Allen is scheduled to visit a department doctor to determine when he can return to work, as he suffered minor injuries in the crash. He will be required to complete a program for substance abuse treatment sponsored by the department before he can return completely to work. He will be randomly tested for both alcohol and drugs for an entire year during the program.