A 28-year-old man accused of causing a drunken driving crash that put a passenger in his vehicle in the hospital for three weeks pleaded not guilty in court Thursday to two felony charges stemming from the August accident.

Jeffrey White Eagle is charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

If convicted on both charges, the Casper resident faces up to 11 years behind bars.

Eagle, who appeared in Natrona County District Court on Thursday with crutches and his right leg in a brace, remains free on $10,000 bond. He was represented by attorney Wade Redmon.

On the night of Aug. 3, a Ford truck Eagle was driving struck a tree off CY Avenue near Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, according to a police affidavit. Officers who responded to the crash found Eagle and another man -- later determined to have been a passenger in the truck -- lying on the ground beside the wreckage.

Witnesses told police that in the moments leading to the one-vehicle crash, the vehicle Eagle was driving was "all over the road" and at one point traveling east in the westbound lane, according to police.

After being treated at the scene, both of the men were taken to Wyoming Medical Center. The passenger was placed in intensive care in critical condition with severe injuries to his neck and his abdomen, according to police. He subsequently underwent numerous surgeries and spent 22 days in the hospital.

Eagle suffered several bruises and minor abrasions in the crash, according to court documents.

He told officers he drank for roughly seven hours on the day of crash, consuming a six-pack of beer at a local golf course and three mixed drinks at a bar, according to police.

Reach crime reporter William Browning at (307) 266-0534 or at william.browning@trib.com.