Man cheats death despite shocking drunkenness
A man was hospitalised in Thuringian city of Jena at the weekend after police picked him up with a staggering blood alcohol level of 0.59 percent - more than 10 times the legal driving limit.
The man’s friend called police Saturday because his buddy’s drunkenness had rendered incapable of sitting up, authorities said.
He was taken to the hospital and was released that evening after a few hours of observation and to sober up.
Such a blood alcohol content (BAC) can easily be fatal. A BAC of 0.3 percent will send a typical person into a complete stupor. By 0.4 most people would be unconscious.
And 0.5 ore more often results in death. But people who have been drinking for years can get used to the alcohol in their systems and tolerate much greater BAC’s than normal.
The man's 0.59 percent content is known as 5.9 promille in German measurement.
Despite more than half of one percent of his blood being alcohol, the 49-year-old man was still able to function - somewhat - because his body was apparently used to the effects of alcohol.
In Germany, the BAC limit for driving is 0.05 percent.
The man has not broken Germany's record, however. That dubious honour is thought to rest with a 44-year-old man from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania who was arrested in 2008 with BAC of 0.77 - more than 15 times the legal driving limit.
DPA/DAPD/mdm
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The man’s friend called police Saturday because his buddy’s drunkenness had rendered incapable of sitting up, authorities said.
He was taken to the hospital and was released that evening after a few hours of observation and to sober up.
Such a blood alcohol content (BAC) can easily be fatal. A BAC of 0.3 percent will send a typical person into a complete stupor. By 0.4 most people would be unconscious.
And 0.5 ore more often results in death. But people who have been drinking for years can get used to the alcohol in their systems and tolerate much greater BAC’s than normal.
The man's 0.59 percent content is known as 5.9 promille in German measurement.
Despite more than half of one percent of his blood being alcohol, the 49-year-old man was still able to function - somewhat - because his body was apparently used to the effects of alcohol.
In Germany, the BAC limit for driving is 0.05 percent.
The man has not broken Germany's record, however. That dubious honour is thought to rest with a 44-year-old man from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania who was arrested in 2008 with BAC of 0.77 - more than 15 times the legal driving limit.
DPA/DAPD/mdm
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