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Burks charged with DUI following crash into lake
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A man was charged with drunk driving after he drove his car into Country Club Lake on Memorial Day, narrowly surviving the crash by crawling out of the sinking car through the sun roof.The driver, Dennis R. Burks, 44, told officers his accelerator hung as he was traveling down the hill on Lakeland Drive around 5:30 p.m. Monday, making him unable to stop at the intersection or to turn to avoid the lake which was at the bottom of the hill.A witness said he heard a splash and turned around to see the white 1995 Thunderbird quickly sinking in the lake about 20 feet from shore. Moments later he saw Burks crawling through the sun roof, freeing himself from the wreckage as the entire car slipped below the surface.“It looked like he was walking on the water,” said one golfer who rode his cart down from the nearby course to check out the excitement.In fact, Burks could not swim, and was worried about leaping from the car on which he was standing which had sunk, leaving him standing in hip deep water as he stood on the roof. At the encouragement of rescue workers, Burks was able to make the somewhat short swim to safety.Burks told his story to lawmen as bubbles continued rising from his sunken car, and with his arm bandaged from a cut he had received during the crash.