FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, a driver in a Toyota Corolla that ran into four other vehicles at a stoplight at  Maplecrest and Evard Roads had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .52%.

Reports of the multiple car accident came in around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday. A short time before the crash, the Toyota Corolla had been reported as a reckless driver.

“This vehicle was previously reported as a reckless driver to the Allen County Sheriff’s Department,” Sgt. Mark Brooks of the Fort Wayne Police Department, said.  “And that was relayed to us just prior to the accident.”

An officer on the scene said four cars were sitting at a stoplight at the intersection. A fifth car, traveling at a very high rate of speed failed to hit the brakes and collided with the cars at the light.

“The Toyota Corolla was traveling southbound on Maplecrest,” Brooks said.  “That resulted in a large collision, with multiple vehicles and several people went to the hospital.”

The Fort Wayne Fire Department made two extrications at the scene from two vehicles. The TRAA transported three people to a local hospital with injuries. One was transported in fair condition and two others in serious condition.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla, a male adult, was taken to the hospital serious condition where a blood-alcohol test revealed a BAC of .52%. As of about 5:00 p.m. on Thursday night, the driver remained hospitalized. 

“That’s one of the higher numbers I have seen over my time at the police department,” Brooks said.

Most studies say that BAC levels of .50% or greater are normally fatal. The legal limit in Indiana is .08%.

“It’s very common for them to have prior contact with law enforcement, involving the use of alcohol, and often in the form of an arrest,” Brooks said.  “It may be a family fight that occurred where they were intoxicated, it may be something such as a public intoxication or operating while intoxicated.  Often times, they have many multiple arrests prior to an incident like this.”

Maplecrest was closed to traffic between Rothman Road and St. Joe Center Road as crews cleaned up the scene until about 4:25 p.m.