CHAMPAIGN, ILL. ? University of Illinois basketball player Jamar Smith – charged Tuesday with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident – apparently believed the teammate in the passenger seat of his car had died, authorities said.

Smith, a sophomore guard, was driving a 1996 Lexus last Monday night when it struck a tree in heavy snow. He then drove the car a little more than a mile to the apartment complex where he lived.

Bystanders called 911 after seeing the badly damaged car in the parking lot, with Smith’s passenger, teammate Brian Carlwell, still inside, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said. A number of other team members were gathered at the apartment, Rietz said.

“It appears that Smith was distraught, as he believed Carlwell had died in the crash,” Rietz said in a written statement.

Smith’s blood-alcohol level was .176 after the crash, more than twice the legal limit of .08, Rietz said. Rietz said university police investigating the accident found that Smith and Carlwell had been drinking tequila and beer with others at an apartment in his complex and left just after 11 p.m.

Smith lost control of the Lexus, which hit the tree on the passenger side, authorities said. Carlwell, 19, suffered a severe concussion and spent four days at Carle Foundation Hospital Urbana before being released Friday.

Aggravated driving under the influence is a Class 4 felony that carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Leaving the scene is a Class 3 felony and carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, Rietz said.