Is that a record?

Driver’s blood alcohol was .708, police say
Found passed out in stolen van, woman could set record for South Dakota
AP

RAPID CITY, S.D. - South Dakota authorities say a woman found passed out in a stolen delivery van earlier this month registered a blood alcohol content of .708 — nearly nine times the legal limit and a possible record for the state.

Meade County State's Attorney Jesse Sondreal said Wednesday that 45-year-old Marguerite Engle was found slumped over the van's steering wheel along a highway on Dec. 1.

He says the highest blood alcohol content state chemists he spoke with could recall was a .56. The state's legal limit is .08.

Authorities say Engle missed an initial court hearing Dec. 15, but that they found her Monday in another stolen vehicle, and that she had been drinking.

She was being held on two counts of driving under the influence. It wasn't immediately clear if she was facing other charges. Her attorney declined comment.

Whoa. I was shocked to hear that this lady survived with a .71 BAC. I thought that was for sure alcohol poisoning crawling into possible death. The fact that she could even crawl into a car that drunk is amazing. She probably thought she was in a spaceship. It got me wondering what the drunkest man ever was so I looked it up. Details are sketchy.

from Wikipedia:

In December 2004, a man was admitted to the hospital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria after being struck by a car. After detecting a strong alcohol odor, doctors at a hospital conducted a breath test which displayed the man's blood alcohol content at 0.914% Concerned that their equipment was malfunctioning, doctors also performed five separate lab tests, all of which confirmed the man's incredible BAC.[36] The man was treated for serious injuries sustained in the crash but survived.[37] There have been cases reported in which individuals have supposedly survived BACs of over 1% but only limited information is available.[38]

In March 2009, a 45-year-old man was admitted to the hospital in Skierniewice, Poland after being struck by a car. The blood test shows blood alcohol content at 1.23%. The man survived. He did not remember either the accident or people he drank with.[39]