A North Texas man is in jail, accused of drunken driving and causing a high-speed crash early Tuesday morning that severed a man's arm.
The crash took place at about 2:30 a.m. along U.S. Highway 75 just north of the High Five.
Police said the driver of a Honda, James Dunne, had been speeding so fast he came up behind the Yellow Checker airport van and slammed into it from behind.
The van's driver, Matthew Leon, lost control and flipped the vehicle several times onto the frontage road.
Inside the airport shuttle van were passengers Kenneth and Carol Ann Dux, who, according to their neighbors, were just 10 minutes from returning home after a week-long vacation.
In the crash, 70-year-old Kenneth Dux’s arm was severed at the elbow. Paramedics found the man's limb and transported both to Parkland Hospital in Dallas so that surgeons could attempt to reattach the man's arm.
Rescuers said Carol, 72, is a little banged up from the crash but is expected to recover.
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The van company said Leon was treated and released from the hospital.
Dunne was also taken to the hospital for a hand injury before being turned over to the Richardson Police Department. Richardson investigator Jonathan Wakefield told NBC 5 that the way Dunne acted after the wreck, as well as evidence they found at the scene, led officers to believe Dunne had been under the influence of alcohol.
Dunne's blood was drawn at the hospital and police said he is facing charges for intoxication assault.
The crash, including Dunne's speed at the time of the collision, is being investigated by police.
A witness to the crash, security guard Carl Dungan, said the sound of the crash seemed to last 10-15 seconds and that drivers speeding through the area is a common problem.
“This is a dangerous stretch of 75 right here. I see them coming here in excess of 100 (miles per hour) constantly. Every night, you just sit there and kind of watch them and go, ‘Wow!'" said Dungan. “It’s a shame the guy lost his arm, at least no one was killed."
As of this writing, there has been no word if Dux's arm was able to be reattached.
