Reports: Oscar Taveras died as a result of Drunk Driving

Reports out of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night have confirmed that St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras died as the result of driving under the influence.

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Initial police reports suggested that the outfielder’s speed and wet road conditions may have played a factor in his tragic passing. Nothing had been suggested that either drugs or alcohol had played a role in the crash. What we now know is that the Cardinals’ top prospect was “legally intoxicated” at the time of his car crash. This news were certainly change how fans view the outfielder’s passing as it could have been prevented by calling a cab or finding a designated driver.

"Tessie Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Dominican attorney general’s office, told The Associated Press toxicology reports showed Taveras had a blood-alcohol level five times the country’s legal limit when he lost control of his car Oct. 26 on a highway in the tourist region of Puerto Plata."

The legal limit in the Dominican Republic is .05 so Taveras was very drunk when he died. The Spanish version of the AP article shows that Taveras’ blood-alcohol level was .287.

With the reports, the Cardinals were quick to release a statement from general manager John Mozeliak.

“We have seen the media reports regarding Oscar Taveras that have come out this afternoon, but have yet to receive any official notification from the Dominican,” Mozeliak said in a statement released from the GM Meetings in Arizona. “Until we have the opportunity to review the official report, we cannot confirm details. While we are still working to obtain the facts, it won’t change the fact that this is a terrible tragedy. We have an obligation to use this as an opportunity to educate our players that they must take responsibility for themselves both on and off the field.”

Let Oscar’s tragic passing be a lesson that drinking and driving do not mix. I beg of you: if you must drink, please give your keys to a designated driver or call a cab. Oscar’s death could have been prevented if he had just given his keys to somebody else and not got behind the wheel that day. This cannot be a stressed enough.