Yesterday morning, a chilling episode unfolded as a car plunged into Galveston harbor after driving off Pier 21, Galveston Police Department and the City of Galveston released joint information, a 21-year-old identified as Caleb Joseph Hayes from Dickinson, was behind the wheel at the time of the accident and now faces charges for driving while intoxicated.
Hayes, who managed to escape the submerged vehicle, was hospitalized and subsequently charged with DWI, despite the initial panic and the fear that seized the moment when he informed authorities that three others were in the car with him at the time of the crash, leading to an extensive search operation. The multi-agency efforts, including the Galveston Port Police, U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Parks and Wildlife leveraging advanced technology, combed the depths but found the vehicle empty when it was raised from the water at 8:30 a.m., according to the Houston Chronicle and a report from FOX26 Houston.
Contrary to the driver's initial account, the three individuals previously believed to have been passengers in the vehicle at the time of the accident, were found unharmed later the same day. The confirmation that they were not in the car at the time of the submersion came as a relief to the community and the first responders who had braced for a more tragic outcome.
