DALLAS — The woman accused of intoxication manslaughter in the death of a tow truck driver on the High Five overpass in Dallas told police she had three alcoholic drinks earlier in the day and had also smoked marijuana, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Denise Chantel Alford, 35, was arrested after the crash Monday night on the overpass from LBJ Freeway to southbound U.S. 75.
Garry McGee, 35, a tow truck driver, was hooking a car to his truck when Alford crashed into the car, knocking McGee off the bridge, police said.
The crash happened about 9:45 p.m. on the tallest section of the High Five intersection, about 12 stories above the ground.
Alford told police that she veered into the vehicle that McGee was connecting to his truck after a pickup truck cut her off, according to the affidavit.
After the crash, Alford told police, she walked to a nearby gas station to charge her phone and call her ex-boyfriend, the affidavit said. Alford and her ex-boyfriend later returned to near the scene and told police what happened.
According to the affidavit, Alford told police she had taken several prescription medications at 9 p.m., had smoked marijuana earlier in the day at about 4:30 p.m. and drank three alcoholic drinks at about 3 p.m.
The affidavit said Alford incorrectly stated letters of the alphabet and numbers during a field sobriety test. She also "displayed an abnormal side to side sway," the affidavit said, and "could not keep balance for instructions," stepped off line and swayed while trying to stand on one leg.
She took a breathalyzer test and blew a 0.076, according to the affidavit. The legal driving limit in Texas is 0.08, but the officer "determined that Alford was intoxicated and did not have the normal use of her mental and physical faculties while operating a motor vehicle," the affidavit said.
Alford was taken to Parkland Hospital, where a blood draw was taken. Those results are pending.
