Suspected drunk driver had BAC nearly 3 times the legal limit before fatal crash: Court records

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Alleged drunk driver charged in deadly Lyft crash in Clear Lake

The victim was texting with his wife just moments before he was killed. He was less than 5 miles from home.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The man charged in a drunk driving crash that killed a Lyft passenger and left its driver in a coma had a blood-alcohol of .210, nearly three times the legal limit, court documents show.

Erik Deleon, 21, is facing intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault charges.

Authorities say Deleon was driving a gray Dodge truck heading northbound on Galveston Road last Friday around 1 a.m. when he clipped the back end of a smaller, silver Mazda pickup, and kept going through the intersection. The Dodge then slammed into the Lyft car.

ORIGINAL STORY: Lyft passenger on the way home from airport killed in drunk driving crash in Clear Lake

Officials told ABC13 that the passenger, Billy Satterfield, was texting with his wife moments before he was killed. He was less than five miles from home.

Dr. Satterfield had been employed at University of Houston-Clear Lake from 2007 until last year.

The Lyft driver, 29-year-old Ezatullah Safi, is in a coma.

Safi, an Afghan refugee, has a wife and two kids. Friends of the family said they came to the U.S. for a better life. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Safi and his family with expenses

Sources say Deleon told officers on scene he was pounding tequila shots at a bar just before the crash. Bar receipts were found in his truck. The state is asking that Deleon's bond be set at no less than $30,000.

Rideshare passenger killed in drunk driving crash

The driver of the silver Mazda truck, that investigators say Deleon clipped, was also arrested. Investigators say he was drunk, stopped at a red light. He failed a field sobriety test.

While ABC13 was reporting on the initial accident, a second crash occurred. A driver crashed into two HPD cars set up as a roadblock on Galveston Road. Police say he was also intoxicated. He was arrested.

Lyft gave ABC13 the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the news of this tragic accident and resulting loss of life. Our thoughts are with all those impacted. We have reached out to those involved and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."