A patrol stopped the duo, who had broken the roadway with a so-called ripper at the rear of the caterpillar at around 600 meters, said the Styrian state police headquarters.
It all started with a check at around 11:40 p.m. in the municipality of Feldkirchen near Graz. The 30-year-old driver and his passenger were pulled over and found they had both been drinking too much to drive. The older of the two, he comes from the Leibnitz district, had to give up his driver’s license immediately. They were not allowed to continue because the passenger from the Liezen district had had too much. In addition, several traffic signs had previously been damaged.
Towing attempt failed
While the case was settled on the spot for the officers, the men apparently had the idea of towing the parked car. When a patrol from the standby unit passed the scene of the accident again at around 1:15 a.m., they heard the noise of a construction machine. The 27-year-old sat at the wheel of the caterpillar. The duo had driven the bulldozer while lowering the ribs on the rear. This resulted in damage to Schachenwaldstraße and the adjacent green space.
The men finally lied to the officers who intervened: They said it was their own caterpillar, but an inquiry to the construction company revealed that they had no idea that their machine was being put into operation in the middle of the night. Incidentally, the drunks ridiculed the official act, although they were aware of the damage, the police said.
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Apart from the administrative violations, the two men are now also being reported to the public prosecutor’s office in Graz for damage to property and unauthorized use of vehicles. The damage to property on the municipal road, the damaged traffic signs and the damage to the ground could not yet be quantified by the municipality.
Source: Nachrichten
