A 23-year-old Texas man told a local news reporter that he remembered drinking about ten beers on Sunday night. At 2:30 am on Monday morning law enforcement authorities began receiving calls that a driver was headed the wrong way down the interstate.
The 23-year-old told reporters that he did not remember getting on the interstate and driving in the wrong direction. He was also unable to remember the crash and subsequent fiery explosion that took a truck driver’s life. He does remember waking up in the hospital and being told that he would be going to jail for his role in the fatal accident.
The 45-year-old truck driver was driving a fuel tanker truck late on Sunday night. About two hours before the fatal accident, at midnight, he called his wife to tell her that he had only a few more stops to make.
The explosion that followed the collision produced such extreme heat that it warped the steel supporting beams of a highway overpass and caused extensive damage to the road surface.
Charges are pending against the 23-year-old suspect and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is also investigating what happened at the bar where he was drinking prior to the crash. The bar owner could also face charges if it can be shown that the man was over-served. The suspect had also told reporters that he had no recollection of anyone at the bar attempting to dissuade him from driving.
Source: WFAA News “Wrong-way driver: I drank 10 beers before fatal crash” Jim Douglas and Casey Norton, March 29, 2011