Wrong-way driver believed to be intoxicated

Published 12:10 am Thursday, July 18, 2019

A 75-year-old man, suspected of being intoxicated, is facing charges after police say he drove the wrong way on Interstate 10 in Orange County, causing a wreck on Wednesday.

Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a wrong-way driver around 11:30 a.m. where they learned the suspect was driving a Ford pickup truck that left the scene of a crash being investigated by a different law enforcement agency near the intersection of I-10 and Texas 62.

The driver traveled up the exit ramp and drove eastbound in the westbound traffic lanes, according to a press release from DPS. He sideswiped several vehicles and continued driving the wrong way on the interstate. An 18-wheeler swerved to miss the truck and struck a passenger vehicle. The wrong-way driver then came to rest after hitting the trailer portion of the wrecked 18-wheeler.

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No serious injuries were reported, however the driver of the passenger vehicle struck by the 18-wheeler went to a hospital in Louisiana for observation.

Troopers identified the wrong-way driver as Carlise Coy Simmons, 75, of Mauriceille, who they believe was driving while intoxicated. He was arrested on the charge but was taken to a local hospital to be medically evaluated before being booked into the Orange County Jail.