A gasoline tanker driver was arrested in Tennessee early on Wednesday morning after driving into oncoming traffic.
The accident happened on November 3rd in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
According to WKRN News, William Wright was traveling along Highway 31 when he slowly crossed the centerline and drove into oncoming traffic, striking two vehicles and causing one minor injury.
Police body cam shows the scene of the crash as an officer investigated.
“He couldn’t stay between the lines. I said, ‘something’s wrong,’” one witness told the officer at the scene.
“He’s sitting up in the cab right now nodding off,” said another officer who responded to the wreck. “He was like this falling over in the seat.”
Officers checked the driver for medical issues and ruled out a medical episode as the reason for the crash. Officers then conducted a field sobriety test, which Wright eventually failed. When officers searched Wright, they found two straws on Wright’s person, which added to officer’s suspicions that he was under the influence of opioids.
“Why are you getting defensive over a straw?” the deputy asked Wright.
“It looks bad, like, you know, it really does, like, there’s nothing bad or anything,” Wright said.
“You see there’s powder residue in there?” the officer continued.
“I don’t know why there’s powder residue. When I have the straws or anything, I’m mixing like chocolate like milk or anything like that sir. But that’s as far as I know sir,” Wright responded.
“So, you have not used this to snort anything?” the officer pressed.
“No sir.”
“So, why do you have a short straw in your pocket?”
When Wright insisted that it was trash, the deputy responded that “It’s not trash. It’s got powder residue. Which means someone’s been snorting something through this straw.”
Sometime later, an officer had another interaction with Wright during which he attempted to help him understand the seriousness of the situation.
“So, you realize you are driving a 65,000-pound bullet down the road. Do you realize how dangerous that is?” the officer asked.
“Why do you think I was crying. That’s why I am glad that I slowed down as much as I did.”
“He seems to be very remorseful, but with him having a commercial driver’s license or CDL, it’s imperative that they have to be sober,” one investigator said to News 2.
Wright has since been charged with DUI and reckless endangerment. He is currently in jail on $10,000 bond and has been fired from his trucking company.