A Peachtree City man who died

in a violent auto crash after leaving the Martini's bar early Wednesday

morning had just turned down an offer for a cab ride outside the bar,

police said.

The cab driver told police

Ralph E. Powers, 57, had staggered out of the bar, prompting the offer

for a ride, said Police Chief James Murray. But Powers declined, and moments

later he lost control of his car on Aberdeen Parkway near Riley Parkway

at "an extremely high rate of speed," around 12:30 a.m., Murray

said.

The car was traveling so fast

during the wreck that the car was almost cut into two pieces when it collided

with several trees, Murray said. Powers was ejected from the vehicle and

was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation is not yet

complete as officers are trying to judge the extent of the vehicle's

damage to figure roughly how fast Powers was traveling when the crash

occurred, Murray said. The incident is being investigated by the department's

accident reconstruction team.

Blood samples were taken to

determine if Powers was under the influence of alcohol when the crash

occurred, Murray confirmed.