Three people died midday Friday when the car they were riding in veered across the U.S. 84/285 median north of Pojoaque and struck two other vehicles, police said.

The driver of the black 1995 Ford Escort that crossed the median had a long history of drunken-driving arrests, and investigators said they found several unopened and broken beer bottles they believe came from a cooler in the Escort.

However, Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said authorities won't know for sure if alcohol was a factor until results of toxicology tests are available, which could take two or three weeks.

The Escort was equipped with an ignition interlock device, which state law requires in cars used by DWI offenders in order to discourage further drunken driving, the Sheriff's Department said.

The driver and registered owner of the car was identified as Richard Dominick Rael, 29, of Española, who Solano said had been arrested on DWI charges six times, most recently on March 17.

Rael and two passengers — a man and a woman — were all pronounced dead at the scene. However, police late Friday were still trying to identify the two passengers, who apparently were not related to Rael, Solano said.

The accident occurred about noon in the highway's northbound lanes, about one mile north of the N.M. 503 turnoff to Nambé and Chimayó.

The sheriff said the crash didn't appear to be related to the religious pilgrimages taking place on Good Friday, in which thousands of people walked along roads leading to El Santuario de Chimayó.

A Sheriff's Department statement said witnesses told investigators the Escort was headed south when it crossed the unpaved median, skidded sideways into oncoming traffic and was T-boned by a 1993 Mercury Sable driven by Leanne Ulibarri, 23, of Española. The Escort then hit a 2006 Honda CRV driven by Daniel Kalb, 23, of Los Alamos.

Ulibarri was taken to Española Valley Hospital, where she was treated for abrasions and released. Kalb and his passenger were not injured.

Solano said Rael's driving record, which showed a history of driving infractions and arrests, indicated he was charged with a fourth DWI offense by New Mexico State Police on Jan. 9, 2007. He was arrested again by State Police on Aug. 25. 2009, and most recently on March 17 of this year.

Rael also had been picked up for protective custody related to drunkenness several times in the past two or three years in Santa Fe County, Solano said.

Investigators on Friday had not determined whether the three who died had been wearing seat belts.

Traffic on U.S. 84/285 was backed up in both directions for much of the afternoon. Officials were able to open one northbound lane of the highway around midafternoon, Solano said.