Drunk teenager rams checkpoint, sends traffic cop to hospital

Captain Nguyen Dinh Phuc, 36, was part of a task force checking drivers for drunk driving at a checkpoint in Dak Glei District in Kon Tum Province Sunday night when Le Trong Hoang, 15, arrived at high speed on a motorbike.

Hoang was revving the engine and showed signs of being drunk and so officers flagged him down, Colonel Nguyen Xuan Huong, deputy head of the Kon Tum Traffic Police Department, said.

But he did not slow down and instead accelerated and smashed into the checkpoint.

The impact caused Phuc a broken leg and jaw and injuries to the lungs and spleen.

Hoang himself suffered a brain injury.

But by Monday Phuc was stable while Hoang remained in critical condition.

Under current Vietnamese law, individuals aged 18 above are allowed to drive motorbikes with capacity of 50 cc upwards, and they must have driving licenses. For bikes under 50 cc, those aged 16 and older can drive without a license.