A highway patrolman who crashed into a pickup last month, killing himself and two others, had not been drinking even though an autopsy showed alcohol in his system, officials said Tuesday.
An analysis conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration on trooper Joshua Risner found he did not drink any alcohol at least 16 hours before his death, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement.
The finding contradicts an earlier post-crash autopsy that found Risner's blood-alcohol level was 0.08 percent, the level at which a person is considered drunk under Ohio law.
"This test tells us that alcohol got into his system post-mortem, after death," patrol Col. Paul McClellan said.
The Gallia County coroner, Dr. Daniel Whitely, said it was possible the alcohol formed during decomposition during a 60-hour gap before the autopsy was conducted.
He said he believes Risner was probably not drinking before the accident, although he called the science behind the FAA test hazy.
"I don't feel that I could strongly say that he didn't, but I surely don't feel that we could strongly say that he did, either," said Dr. Daniel Whitely.
The FAA test, which is usually conducted on dead pilots, was performed at the request of the patrol and the coroner in southeast Ohio's Gallia County, where the accident happened.