Driver Had Blood Alcohol Content of .15 percent or Higher During DUI Rampage, Will Appear in Court Thursday

The San Ramon man charged with felony DUI in a string of collisions along Danville Boulevard earlier this month had a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or higher at the time, almost twice the legal limit.

On Sunday, Aug. 1 at about 10 a.m. Cainan Schierholtz, the younger brother of an S.F. Giants outfielder, was involved in five collisions along Danville Boulevard and Railroad Avenue.

He is set to appear at the Martinez courthouse on Thursday at 9 a.m. to enter a plea in the case.

Schierholtz is charged with felony DUI with injuries, three counts of felony hit-and-run with injuries and one misdemeanor hit-and-run.

The complaint filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court states that Schierholtz had a "blood alcohol content of .15 percent and more by weight," at the time of his arrest.

Depending on the person's weight, that blood alcohol content could be described as the equivalent of a half pint of whiskey. 

In California the legal limit to drive a car is a blood alcohol content under .08 percent for adults; for minors it is less than .01 percent.

With each .02 increase in a person's BAC their risk for a fatal crash nearly doubles, according to a report by professors at the Boston University School of Public Health (see attached PDF file for full report).

Drinking over a longer period of time, and eating while drinking, slows down the process, taking the drinker longer to reach certain levels of BAC.

Information below for different BAC levels is from the attached report unless otherwise stated or linked. One drink is a shot, a can of beer, or a glass of wine.

.02 percent

A driver's ability to divide attention "between two or more visual stimuli" may be impaired. A 170-pound male consumes less than two drinks in one hour.

.03 percent

There is a definite impairment of muscle coordination and driving skills. A 170- pound male consumes two drinks in one hour.

.05 percent

Drivers exhibit impairment of eye movement, glare resistance, visual perception, reaction time, steering tasks, information processing and other driving tasks.  A 170-pound male consumes three drinks in one hour.

.08 percent

A 170-pound man would have to drink four drinks in on hour to reach this level.

.10 percent

Deterioration of reaction time and control. Typically a 175-pound man would need to consume five drinks in one hour on an empty stomach.

.15 percent

The equivalent of a half pint of whiskey is circulating in the blood  system.

.3 percent

The average person is typically unconscious, according to Silas Miers, Program Specialist for Law Enforcement with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

.35 to .4 and above

Death can occur, says Silas, although in some cases death may occur at a lower number.