Dash cam video shows allegedly drunken driver talking to police minutes before deadly crash

Newly released video from a Michigan police department shows an allegedly drunken driver speaking to police officers minutes before he crashed head-on with another vehicle -- killing both him and the other motorist.

Pittsfield Police released the dash cam video of the December 30 accident earlier this week. It captures police officers speaking to Desten Houge after he lost control of his vehicle, which was in a ditch.

"I can't explain this s---," Houge can be heard saying in the video. "It just happened."

The video shows Houge slip and fall on the snowy bank before an officer helps him up.

A tow truck, seen in the video, eventually helps get Houge's vehicle out of the ditch.

Almost an hour later, Houge, back in his vehicle, loses control of it and crosses the center line, according to a police report. That's when police say he crashed into the other vehicle, which was driven by Lake Jacobson.

Police said Houge, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene. Jacobson, 55, died four days later.

Initially, police did not "suspect alcohol or drugs were a factor," according to the report in December.

But, according to MichiganLive, which obtained a copy of his autopsy, Houge's blood-alcohol content was 0.24 percent, three times Michigan's legal limit for driving.

Matt Harshberger, the Pittsfield Township Police Department's director of public safety, said he was "surprised" Houge's blood-alcohol level was that high.

"We did not expect him to come back with any level of intoxication or controlled substance, for that matter," Harshberger told ABC News. "We processed it like we would have any other crash."

Harshberger said the officers did not give Houge a sobriety test.

He said the department reviewed the incident, including the dash cam video, and found no internal violations. As such, it decided not to conduct a deeper investigation or to discipline the officers, Harshberger added.

"This was an extremely unfortunate, tragic situation," he said. "I feel terrible about it, but I don't see how we would have done anything different."