13 cans of whipping cream found after SUV wreck in Tenn. Driver 'extremely disoriented,' faces 6th DUI charge

Police stack 13 canisters of whipped cream found in the SUV of a driver accused of DUI in Franklin, Tenn. Police stack 13 canisters of whipped cream found in the SUV of a driver accused of DUI in Franklin, Tenn. Photo: Courtesy Franklin (Tenn) Police Dept. Photo: Courtesy Franklin (Tenn) Police Dept. Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close 13 cans of whipping cream found after SUV wreck in Tenn. 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

A Tennessee woman was on a whipped-cream buzz when she ran her SUV in a ditch and then crashed into a brick mailbox, police said.

Thirteen canisters of Reddi-Wip and other brands of the light dessert topping were found in the vehicle driven by Anna Thomas, 28, in Franklin.

"They started pulling out bottles of whipped cream and they started sitting them on the car and they essentially ran out of room," Craig Lynch, who owns the smashed mailbox, told WKRN.

While no one hurt in the accident, the accident underscores the danger of huffing, or inhaling, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and then trying to operate a motor vehicle.

Thomas allegedly sniffed the gas from the creamy treat, a practice known as "whippets," before she started up her SUV at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Officers at the scene said she was extremely disoriented.

She was charged with driving under the influence.

According to records with the Williamson County Jail, this is Thomas' sixth DUI. She was due in court Thursday.

Because of nitrous oxide's many legitimate uses, as an anesthetic by dentists and doctors, a speed booster for race car engines, an aerosol for food containers and as an oxidizer for welding, possessing the gas in California is not a crime. However, possession with intent to inhale is a misdemeaner.

Driving a vehicle while under the influence of the gas is illegal in California.

In 2013, a DUI suspect allegedly inhaled balloons filled with nitrous oxide as he led LAPD officers on a slow-speed chase. Police said he keep huffing balloons of the gas even after he was pulled over.