Dwayne Haskins Death: QB Had Been Drinking Before Being Hit, Killed

PITTSBURGH, PA — Late Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins had been out drinking heavily and had a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit to drive when he was hit and killed on Interstate 595 in Broward County, according to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office.

Two samples from Haskins tested positive for alcohol, .20 in his blood and .24 in vitreous, a fluid found in the eye, according to the medical examiner's report obtained by Patch.

Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs typically used as a medical anesthetic, but there was no indication of why the drugs would have been in his system, according to the report.

The quarterback, who played at Ohio State before being drafted in the first round by the Washington Commanders in 2019, was killed when he was hit by a dump truck early in the morning April 9 while attempting to walk across the highway.

He played two seasons with the Commanders before signing with the Steelers in 2021. He was conducting offseason workouts in South Florida with new quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, star running back Najee Harris and other Steelers players.

According to a 9-1-1 call from his widow, Kalabrya Haskins, he had called her from the side of the road near Interstate 95 shortly before his death and said he would call her back when he finished putting gas in the vehicle.

The Broward Medical Examiner's Office indicated in its report that investigators found his car on the side of I-595 with a female companion inside. The unnamed woman told Florida Highway Patrol officers that Haskins had left to look for gas. The nature of Haskins' relationship with the woman is unknown.

Haskins had been practicing with teammates the day before the accident, then went to dinner, a Steelers representative told police. After dinner, he and a friend or relative named "Joey" went to a club, possibly in Miami. They drank heavily and at some point, they got into a fight before separating, according to the report.

With the retirement of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Haskins was set to compete with Trubisky and backup Mason Rudolph for the team's starting job for the 2022 season.