Eyewitness recounts the shock of seeing seawall crash in Galveston

Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Eyewitness recounts the shock of seeing seawall crash in Galveston
Eyewitness recounts the shock of seeing seawall crash in Galveston.

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- First came the sight of a red Audi convertible driving erratically on Seawall Boulevard Monday afternoon. Then, the car veered into a parked truck and a street sign which sent debris flying.

Moments later the car went over the seawall. The vehicle and driver landed on the rocks below.

It was what happened next that's something Deborah Mudry cannot 'unsee.'

She called 911 to help a bystander who had been hit by some of the debris. When she looked up, Marjorie said she saw the driver get up on the hood of the car, and he proceeded to take off all his clothes.

"He got in the water and started swimming,"she said. "He even started doing backstrokes. I thought he was suicidal, but I think it was something else."

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Galveston police spokesman Michael Gray identified the driver as 42-year-old Dennis Backman, who's been issued class C misdemeanor citations, including one for evading arrest. Backman was taken to a hospital for observation because of his erratic behavior which included removing his clothes.

Debra Mudry said she and her family were in Galveston, looking at property with a view of the water. She still has that dream she says, "But I don't want that kind of view again."