Miami (AFP) – Florida Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez had cocaine in his system and was legally drunk when he died in a September boating accident, according to a toxicology report released Saturday.
The 24-year-old Cuban-born Major League Baseball standout’s blood alcohol level was 0.147, almost twice the legal limit of .08, and he also had detectable levels of cocaine, the autopsy and toxicology reports released by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Fernandez and two friends — Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25 — were killed early on September 25 after their 32-foot boat hit a jetty off Miami’s South Beach at high speed. The vessel was owned by Fernandez but the reports do not say who was piloting the ship when it crashed.