Tyler man accused of driving drunk in fatal wreck
SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - A Tyler man has been indicted for drunken driving after a fatal crash last September near Winona.
Darrell Tyrone Lewis, 22, has been indicted for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and was booked into the Smith County Jail on June 1.
Lewis was the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe involved in a two-vehicle wreck on SH 155 north of Winona on Sept. 24, 2022. DPS said his vehicle crossed the center line at about 2:30 a.m. and collided head on with a Nissan 370Z, driven by Eric Carson Eitel, 53, of Big Sandy.
A TxDOT crash report states that Lewis had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.096 at the time of the crash; in Texas, a driver is considered legally intoxicated when BAC reaches 0.08. The report says Lewis was “under the influence of alcohol and drove on the wrong side of the road -- not passing.” The two vehicles struck in the northbound lane, and Lewis’ continued forward, while Eitel’s skewed off the side of the highway. TxDOT says Lewis’ Tahoe caught fire after coming to rest in the roadway. The report also indicates that Eitel had a BAC of 0.123.
Eitel was pronounced dead on scene, while Lewis was taken to a hospital by Flight for Life with incapacitating injuries.
Lewis was booked into the Smith County Jail on June 1, 2023, and posted $400,000 bond the same day.
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