WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 21 (UPI) -- Florida polo club founder John Goodman testified Wednesday in his own defense at his trial for manslaughter in a 2010 drunken driving crash.
Goodman, 48, founder of the Polo Club International Palm Beach, said he had two shots of tequila and two sots of vodka the night of the crash that killed 23-year-old Scott Wilson. He said he had left the polo club to get some food and the last thing he remembered before he struck Wilson's vehicle is that the brakes on his Bentley didn't seem to be working properly, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Defense attorneys say a malfunction in Goodman's car contributed to the crash.
Goodman struck Wilson's vehicle after running a red light in February 2010 in Wellington, Fla. He is accused of drunken driving and leaving the scene of the accident while Wilson drowned in a canal.
Two hours after the crash, Goodman's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, police said.
Goodman said he didn't know where he was and didn't realize that Wilson's car had gone into the water. He said he went to a friend's barn after the accident and drank a bottle of liquor to alleviate pain from his injuries.
He called 911 nearly an hour after the crash and asked whether anyone had been hurt in the wreck. Goodman told the dispatcher he was not injured, the newspaper said.
Goodman faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
