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SALT LAKE CITY — A Murray man who police say was illegally taking prescription medications when he drove the wrong way on the freeway and caused a fatal crash has been charged.
Ryan Cody Davis, 38, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; and DUI, a class A misdemeanor.
On Oct. 23, about 9:30 a.m., Davis was driving a Dodge Neon on I-80 near 7800 West "when he made an abrupt U-turn" and began heading east in the westbound lanes, according to charging documents.
Davis sideswiped a Subaru Crosstrek, causing the Subaru to roll several times into the cable barrier in the median, the charges state. Todd Neely, 29, of South Jordan, was declared dead at the scene.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers investigating the crash suspected Davis was under the influence of "a central nervous system depressant," according to the charges.
Davis stated that between midnight and 5 a.m. he took seven Trazadone pills, a sedative typically used to treat depression, the charges state. Davis told investigators he took it to help him sleep. He also had other prescribed medications he had been taking and admitted to troopers that he was supposed to have a follow-up appointment with his doctor but hadn't and was "adjusting the dosage for his prescription medication on his own," according to the charges.
A blood test revealed both Trazodone and Bupropion, another anti-depressant, in his system. Davis did not have a prescription for either, the charges state.
