By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – A St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher was drunk, speeding and talking on a cell phone when he crashed his SUV into the back of a tow truck early Sunday.
A police report released Friday says Josh Hancock's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
The report says Hancock was driving 68 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone, and had a blood alcohol of .157 percent. The legal limit in Missouri is .08.
Police say he did not even try to swerve out of the way before he hit the stopped tow truck.
St. Louis Medical Examiner Michael Graham said Hancock died instantly of a severe head injury. He was not wearing a seatbelt, but Graham said it probably would not have helped anyway.
"The chest injuries may have been somewhat less if he had been belted in, but I don't think it made a difference in this case," Graham said.
Josh Hancock was laid to rest Wednesday near his family's home in Mississippi. He was 29 years old.