NASHVILLE, April 21 (UPI) -- Rock band 3 Doors Down bassist Robert Todd Harrell was intoxicated when he caused a fatal traffic accident in Tennessee, authorities allege.
Harrell, 41, of Mount Joliet, was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide by intoxication and bringing a controlled substance into jail, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported.
Nashville metro police said Harrell was drunk when his Cadillac clipped a Ford F-150 pickup truck Friday night on Interstate 40. The truck hit a guardrail, went down an embankment and flipped over, ejecting the driver, Paul Howard Shoulders Jr., 47, who was fatally injured.
The Cadillac came to a stop about a quarter-mile down away after hitting a retaining wall, The Tennessean said. Police said Harrell failed sobriety tests, and allegedly admitted to drinking alcoholic cider and taking the prescription painkiller Lortab and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.
Police allege they found he had eight Xanax, 24 Oxycodone and four Oxymorphone pills on him when he was taken to the jail.
The band posted a statement on its website expressing condolences to the family and friends of the crash victim.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Howard Shoulders Jr. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time," the statement said.
