By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — A repeat drunken driver in a Chevy Express van rear-ended a Chrysler Town & Country minivan with three people aboard the morning of Sept. 13 at Telegraph and Brest roads.
A 31-year-old man, a passenger in the minivan, was taken to Beaumont Hospital, Taylor, where he was reported to be in stable condition. The two women in the minivan, the driver and the front seat passenger, declined medical treatment.
A witness said the Chevy van driver was going about 80 mph when he crashed into the minivan.
The driver of the minivan, a 54-year-old Taylor woman who was in a turnaround lane on Telegraph prior to being hit, said the Chevy van driver “came out of nowhere” and rear-ended her vehicle, which ended up in the median.
A cold, open can of beer was found in the Chevy van.
The driver of the Chevy van claimed he had taken cold medicine, which contains alcohol, and claimed it made him fall asleep at the wheel. He did not smell of intoxicants, but had bloodshot, watery eyes when he was interviewed at Beaumont Hospital, Taylor.
A search warrant for a blood draw was obtained, and was administered about two hours after the crash. The man was cited for careless driving causing an accident, for not having proof of insurance and for having an expired license plate.
He was also charged with a second offense of operating under the influence of alcohol.