Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh man has been charged with driving while impaired in a single-vehicle wreck that temporarily closed all southbound lanes of Capital Boulevard at the Wade Avenue exit Sunday.

Paul Daniel Ashworth, 32, lost control of his 1994 Acura while driving in the far left southbound lane of Capital around 2:15 a.m., according to the wreck report. The car drifted over the left curb into the grass.

When Ashworth tried to regain control of the car, it skidded sideways into a large pole supporting an overheard sign, Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue said. The pole and sign collapsed into the roadway.

The Acura skidded another 45 feet before stopping, the wreck report says.

All lanes were reopened, and traffic was flowing freely by 10 a.m., dispatch officials said. Police set up a detour from southbound Capital onto Fairview Road while crews cleared the scene and carted away the damaged sign. It will have to be replaced.

A passenger in the Acura was taken to WakeMed to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Ashworth, of 2511-203 Cedar Forest Way, has been charged with DWI and driving with a revoked license.

Police administered an alcohol test, and Ashworth registered a 0.13 blood alcohol content level, according to the wreck report. He admitted to consuming several beers shortly before the wreck, the report says.

Ashworth's license was revoked in 1998, according to state Department of Correction records.

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