By Julian Gill and Jay R. Jordan STAFF WRITERS
A Lyft passenger was texting his wife telling her he was almost home early Friday when a motorist who admitted drinking tequila shots crashed into the ride-share car, killing the passenger, authorities said.
Erik DeLeon, 21, is facing intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault charges in the deadly crash, according to Sean Teare, head of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division.
DeLeon told police he had just left an establishment on the Gulf Freeway near Fuqua before he slammed his pickup into two vehicles, killing the Lyft passenger, who was minutes away from home after flying into Houston from a business trip, Teare said.
“He was literally doing nothing wrong,” Teare said. “He was very close to home.”
Right around 1 a.m., a Dodge Ram pickup, allegedly driven by DeLeon, was northbound on Galveston Road when it clipped the back of a smaller, Mazda B2300 pickup near the intersection with Pineloch Drive, according to investigators.
DeLeon then allegedly drove through the intersection, where his pickup T-boned the Lyft vehicle, a Dodge Caliber, which was making a left turn.
The Lyft passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The 40-year-old man has not been identified. The Lyft driver was taken to Clear Lake Regional Medical Center with severe injuries, police said.
DeLeon’s intoxication assault charge could be upgraded if the Lyft driver’s condition turns for the worse, Teare said. The driver remains unconscious in a local hospital recovering from the impact.
DeLeon was also hospitalized, although his condition was not immediately clear.
DeLeon admitted to drinking tequila at alocal bar prior to the crash, Teare said. Prosecutors are reviewing video surveillance from two nearby bars to determine if he was overserved by errant bartenders, which could result in criminal charges for employees.
“It is incredibly frustrating,” Teare said. “(Drunken driving), I think, is the greatest danger to citizens in Harris County and the area. We lead the nation every year. It doesn’t target one socioeconomic group, it doesn’t target one type of person, a profession. It is truly at random, and it can happen at any time of the day or night.”
Prosecutors have charged at least five drivers this year in Harris County with allegedly causing deadly crashes while they were intoxicated, including the anticipated charge against DeLeon.
The driver of the smaller pickup, which DeLeon allegedly clipped first, also faces charges of driving while intoxicated.
As authorities were investigating the crash, a suspected intoxicated driver struck one of the HPD cars on the scene, Metro Video reported. The cruiser was blocking the roadway during the investigation when it was struck about 4 a.m. The officer was not inside the vehicle. julian.gill@chron.com jay.jordan@chron.com