Driver was drunk when he hit truck of man changing tire on U.S. 95, police say

By Riley Snyder

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 | 4:25 p.m.

The man who crashed into a pickup truck parked on the side of U.S. 95 having a flat tire changed on Monday was allegedly drunk and asleep at the wheel, officials say.

Victor Garcia-Rodriguez, 29, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence resulting with substantial bodily harm and failure to drive in a marked traffic lane after a Monday morning accident that closed part of U.S. 95 for three hours.

A man was changing a flat tire on his pickup truck around 5:12 a.m. Monday on the right side of U.S. 95 near the off-ramp to Tropicana Avenue when another pickup veered onto the shoulder and struck the rear of the vehicle, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Jeremie Elliott said.

The injured man, identified as Chris Boni, was transferred to Sunrise Hospital where he remains in serious condition. Boni suffered multiple injuries in the collision, including a broken leg and fractured skull.

Boni is a 19-year employee of Aggregate Industries US, where he works as a paving crew foreman, employee Paula Avery said.

According to a declaration of arrest, Garcia-Rodriguez told police that he fell asleep at the wheel and woke up after the accident. Police noted that Garcia-Rodriguez had difficulty finding his license and registration, had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slowed and slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.

After filling out some paperwork related to the crash, the responding officer discovered Garcia-Rodriguez asleep again in the driver's seat. He stated to police that he drank several beers the night before and was on his way to work at the time of the crash, but couldn't provide a clear answer as to where he worked.

Garcia-Rodriguez failed a sobriety test and was subsequently arrested, according to the arrest report. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center without bail, and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.