NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins drank ‘heavily’ before dying on South Florida interstate
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins died with alcohol and ketamine in his system and had been out at a South Florida club where he drank “heavily,” records from the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office released Monday say.
Haskins, 24, died April 9 after he was hit by two drivers on Interstate 595 near the Fort Lauderdale airport, first by a dump truck driver and then by the driver of a Subaru Outback, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Haskins died from multiple blunt-force injuries, and his manner of death was an accident, the report says.
The Medical Examiner’s Office report says Haskins had been training in South Florida with his teammates, and they all went to dinner. Then Haskins and a relative went to a club, possibly in Miami, where they “drank heavily” and separated after a fight.
Haskins’ alcohol levels were at 0.20 and 0.24, the toxicology report found from two separate samples. A driver is considered to be driving under the influence in Florida if the blood-alcohol content is at 0.08 or more.
A urine sample also came back positive for ketamine and norketamine, which is found in the body after ketamine is metabolized. Ketamine is “a dissociative anesthetic,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, that can be used as a sedative and pain reliever and also may cause hallucinations.
The report does not say how much of the drugs was detected in the sample. It notes that Haskins’ medical history was unknown, but he did not take daily medications.
The Steelers’ head of security told investigators Haskins did drink alcohol “heavily sometimes” and “would never take any unknown substances” and did not use illegal drugs other than marijuana, the report says.
Drivers reported seeing Haskins “waving cars down” while in the shoulder on the westbound side of the interstate, the report says, before the Interstate 95 northbound exit.
He had run out of gas, pulled over to the side of the highway and got out in search of fuel about 6:15 a.m., the Medical Examiner’s report says. The 911 calls started pouring in about 6:33 a.m.
One woman who saw Haskins waving cars down told investigators she saw a man wearing all black, standing on the right shoulder of the road waving at cars. By the time she pulled over, parked and went to help him, he had already been hit, the report says.
The driver in the dump truck told investigators a man suddenly appeared in the center lane he was driving in, sending him into the left lane. The Subaru driver tried to swerve to avoid hitting him, nearly hitting a median wall, the report says.
Troopers found the abandoned car on the side of the highway with a woman inside. She said she had been with Haskins since about 7 p.m. Friday up until he got out of the car to find a gas station.
The report does not say what Haskins relationship to the woman who was waiting inside the car was.
Haskin’s wife, Kalabrya, told a 911 operator that her husband told her he was “stuck on the side of the highway” and would call her back once he got gas, according to the call released by FHP in April. But he never did.
“I don’t want you to panic, but I’m going to be honest with you,” the 911 operator said. “We do have an incident on the highway, but I can’t confirm if that’s your husband or not.”
Both drivers stopped and no criminal charges are expected to be filed in his death. Fire rescue crews pronounced Haskins dead at the scene at 6:48 a.m.
Sun Sentinel staff writers David Fleshler and Chris Perkins contributed to this report.
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