New Smyrna, FL - A woman was arrested for driving under the influence after almost hitting children and families enjoying a day at the beach at Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna on Saturday.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Sarah Ramsammy from Orlando, was arrested on DUI charges after she was found to have a blood alcohol level of .153, almost double the legal limit.
Ashley Young, who was enjoying a day at the beach with her mother, dog, and 3-year-old daughter, recounted the experience to WESH, telling the news outlet "my little one was playing in the sand and all of a sudden this guy just starts shouting, 'Hey, watch out,'"
Witnesses say Ramsammy was recklessly driving her Nissan SUV down the beach, narrowly avoiding children and families in her path.
"I was just yelling at them from the window. Like, 'You almost hit my child firstly, many other kids, dogs.' And she was like, 'Well, I didn't so,'" Young said.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office quickly responded to the incident.
Bodycam footage captured deputies questioning Ramsammy, who appeared uncertain about the events, claiming she was unaware of any near misses involving children.
Witness Ariel Hiddleston, who was at Smyrna Dunes Park with a large group of friends and their nine children, described the scene as chaotic and terrifying to WESH,
Hiddleston says she couldn't shake off the realization that Ramsammy's carelessness could easily have resulted in the tragic injury or death of a child.
"She just had no regard for anybody else," Hiddleston told WESH. "I went to bed last night, just laying there thinking she could have easily just ran over a kid. And she, the only reason that she even stopped was because she got stuck."
In response to Saturday's incident, Hiddleston says she'd like to see increased beach patrol or lifeguard presence during busy holiday weekends to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
In addition to the charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving, Ramsammy received a citation for failure to obey a traffic control device.