‘Drunk driver’ Sean Higgins hangs his head as court hears what his blood alcohol level was when he mowed down Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

The “drunk” driver who struck and killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, prosecutors said.

Sean Higgins, 43, is charged with two counts of death by motor vehicle crash and traffic violations in connection with the Aug. 29 crash.

The 31-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets star and his 29-year-old brother were riding their bikes the night before their sister’s wedding when they were struck by Higgins.

Prosecutors say his blood alcohol content has now been found to be 0.087, which is above Ohio’s 0.08 limit.

The brothers were to be the groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding the day after their deaths

Higgins, of Woodstown, New Jersey, is being held in jail after Judge Michael Silvanio said he had “significant concerns” he could pose a flight risk, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

“His surgery was so bad that he didn’t even see these two young men,” Silvano said. “Because of his impatience. In his own statement, he said he has problems with impatience on the road.”

According to prosecutor Jonathan Flynn, Higins was driving at a “high rate of speed” behind two vehicles.

The drivers of the vehicles stated that they were driving at 88 km/h on the stretch where the speed limit was 88 km/h.

A motorist in an SUV told investigators he swerved to the left to avoid the brothers, but at that moment Higgins’ Jeep Grand Cherokee accelerated to the right to pass him, resulting in a crash.

He told police he had consumed “five to six” beers before the collision.

Other motorists described how he would speed up and then slow down as he tried to avoid the vehicles.

Higgins’ wife said her husband had been drinking while working from home.

After his arrest, he reportedly admitted his responsibility to a family member and a friend via recorded phone conversations from prison.

Sean M. Higgins, above, the alleged drunk driver appears before Judge Michael Silvanio

New Jersey resident Sean Higgins faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty on all counts

An image shows the crash that killed Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau last Thursday night

Higgins declined to speak in court on Friday to confirm he understood his rights.

According to his lawyer, Matthew Portella, Higgins’ blood alcohol level was “right at the legal limit.”

He stated that he failed the field test for alcohol use because he walked with a limp after recent knee surgery.

“He told the troopers everything that happened,” Portella said. “He just took two people’s lives and tore families apart. … The fact that he was suicidal, we understand that. He’s not suicidal anymore.”

The brothers were scheduled to attend their sister Katie’s wedding the day after their deaths.

The accident happened less than three miles from the Gaudreau family home, just hours before Katie was to marry her partner Devin Joyce.

Higgins has previously driven recklessly and aggressively, Flynn told the court.

Relatives leave the funeral service for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau

Johnny’s wife Meredith revealed at his funeral that she is pregnant with the couple’s third child

Johnny is survived by his wife Meredith, whom he married in September 2021, and two young children: a one-year-old daughter, Noa, and a son, Johnny, who was born just six months ago.

Meredith has since revealed at the brothers’ funeral that she is pregnant with Johnny’s third child.

Matthew, meanwhile, is survived by his wife Madeline, just over three years after their wedding in New Jersey. Madeline is expected to give birth to their son, Tripp, in late December.