Ann Arbor Police Department detectives said blood alcohol test results will help determine whether charges will be filed in the Dec. 29 traffic death of Engineering sophomore Kyu Jong Han.
Police said Engineering sophomore Min Kang, 21, was returning with Han to a party when his 1997 Audi hopped a curb on Huron Parkway and slammed into a tree.
Kang, who was recently released from the hospital, said he could not recall anything about the crash.
"I have a shock right now because of the accident," Kang said. "A life is gone and I almost died, too. (Han) was a nice person and he was my friend."
Police said Han and Kang were at an apartment party with five or six friends on the 2300 block of Lancashire Drive when they left to buy cigarettes.
People present at the party told detectives that both students had been drinking, and police reports said they detected a "strong odor of alcohol" at the crash scene.
Kang said he could not recall if he was drinking before getting behind the wheel.
"I don't remember anything about that night," Kang said.
Ann Arbor Police Department detective Brian Zazadny said tests scheduled to be completed later this week will determine if Kang was legally intoxicated or if he was driving above the posted speed limit.
"For any fatality, once we interview witnesses and get blood results we turn all information over to the prosecutor's office," Zazadny said. The prosecutor's office determines if charges should be filed.
If a driver under the influence of alcohol causes a fatality, he can face felony drunken driving charges and up to 15 years in prison, said Sheila Blakney, an attorney in the public defender's office.
Police officers reported to the scene of the crash after a resident of a nearby apartment complex called police at 5:30 a.m. They found the car mangled and split in half with Han lying besides the vehicle and Kang still inside.
Police said Kang lost control of the car while traveling at a high speed, and believe Han was thrown from the vehicle when the impact occurred.
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