An automobile accident involving three cars and eight people Wednesday night was the result of “huffing” computer keyboard cleaner by the driver who caused the accident, Covington Police Lt. Jack West said.

The driver of the vehicle, Adrian Adels, 18, Mandeville, was driving a 1983 Oldsmobile, traveling northbound on U. S. Highway 190 about 7 p.m. He tried to exit U. S. 190 at the Claiborne Hill turnoff and was apparently too intoxicated to judge the distance and speed to the exit and hit two other vehicles, West said.

Adels vehicle went through the curb dividing the highway, sending 1- and 2-foot chucks of concrete flying into the two other vehicles. He finally came to a stop on a steel culvert that hooked the undercarriage of his car, West said.

Eight people were treated at area hospitals Wednesday after this wreck on U.S. Highway 190 in Covington.

Adels’ vehicle struck a white 1999 Oldsmobile occupied by a mother, father and small child and a 2000 Chevy Geo occupied by a white male.

All eight people involved in the three-car accident were taken by Covington Fire Rescue and Acadian Ambulance to either St. Tammany Parish Hospital or Lakeview Regional Medical Center for treatment and then released with minor to moderate injuries.

Witnesses reported Adels was traveling at a high rate of speed and was driving erratically.

Passengers in Adels’ car said they were all “huffing” the cleaner while the vehicle was in motion. Two cans of the cleaner were found in the vehicle with two plastic bags, West said.

“Huffing” is the slang expression for inhaling chemical vapors from a variety of substances, many of them common household cleaners, in order to obtain a euphoric effect. Potential risks include brain damage and death, according to West and the National Drug Intelligence Center.

West said charges of DWI and negligent injury are still pending against Adels, and the case is still under investigation. He said he did not know why Adels had not been charged upon his release from the hospital.