SALT LAKE CITY — A long-haul truck driver who police say hit a motorcycle in Utah while driving intoxicated has been charged.
Julio Covarrubias, 58, of Compton, California, was charged Wednesday in 1st District Court with DUI and failing to stop for a serious accident, both third-degree felonies; and reckless driving and being a commercial driver in possession of alcohol, both class B misdemeanors.
On Sunday, just before 3 p.m., Covarrubias was driving a semitrailer on I-15 near Honeyville and was “swerving in and out of his lane prior to taking an off-ramp,” according to charging documents.
The truck ran a stop sign at the bottom of the off-ramp and hit a motorcycle, “causing the driver to go head over heels numerous times. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries,” the charges state.
The truck then kept going, but its bumper and license plate were ripped off during the collision and left behind, according to the charges. Utah Highway Patrol troopers found the truck a short time later and arrested Covarrubias.
“(Covarrubias) denied knowing that he hit anyone, but when asked about his missing bumper, (he) claimed that the semi was old and it just fell off somewhere,” the charges state.
Beer and empty beer cans were found inside the cab of the truck, according to the charges.
Troopers tested Covarrubias’ blood-alcohol content which registered at 0.136, or nearly three times the legal limit.