A DUI suspect involved in a deadly collision at a construction site tried to blame the death on the victim, according to court paperwork.
Phoenix police report that on November 11 around 2 a.m. they responded to 61st Avenue and Dobbins Road for a fatal collision at a construction site.
The crash survivor Jaime Garcia, age 26, allegedly told police that he and 28-year-old Gregory James left a bar and James drove his truck because Garcia was too drunk to drive.
He reportedly told police that James went around Arizona Department of Transportation barriers at the Loop 202 construction site, because he thought it was a shortcut to his home.
Police say the truck traveled through the site at about 65 MPH before colliding with a Caterpillar excavator (construction equipment).
Court documents say that police found James in an "unnatural position," "as if he was repositioned after the collision."
Police reportedly found alcohol and a liquor store receipt in the truck. The time stamp on the receipt was just minutes before the collision.
When they checked surveillance video from the store it showed that Garcia was driving the truck.
Court documents show that the autopsy report concluded that James had extensive damage to the right side of his body, which was consistent with the damage to the truck.
“The evidence tells a story,” said Sgt. Tommy Thompson with the Phoenix Police Department.
Police say James’ family now knows the truth.
“They were a little bit shocked because all this time they thought their loved one was driving and then they find out that he wasn’t," Thompson said.
Police say Garcia’s B.A.C. was .156 and allegedly revealed that he was also impaired by THC.
Garcia was arrested on November 27 on one count of second-degree murder.
He is being held on a $500,000 bond.
