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Boston DUI Defense Attorney Pleads Not Guilty After Boating Accident

Chloe Stevenson Contributor
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A boat ride turned into a nightmare in Boston as a woman lost her arm in the propeller of a boat driven by a Boston attorney, The Boston Globe reports.

Nineteen-year-old Auburn student Nicole Berthiuame jumped in the water attempting to retrieve a cushion that had fallen overboard, but when she tried to climb back onto the boat, the propeller severed her arm above the elbow.

Benjamin Urbelis, a 33-year-old attorney from Boston and the driver of the boat, pleaded guilty Monday to charged of reckless operation of the 29-foot boat and operating under the influence. He specializes in DUI cases and was arrested on site by responders. Urbelis refused to partake in any sobriety tests upon arrest, but a breathalyzer test taken four hours later recorded a .09. The legal limit is .08.

Urbelis was held on $75,000 bail and forced to surrender his passport in court Monday in court.

The lawyer’s lawyer on the case defends Urbelis by stating that his client is not a flight risk but an accomplished professional.