State police have issued a report on an accident in Derry Borough, Westmoreland County on Thursday night in which a vehicle crashed into a house, injuring two people from Indiana County. The driver of the vehicle is charged with driving under the influence.
It happened at 10:30 at night when a pickup truck operated by 38-year-old Michael J. Donahue of Marion Center struck a parked SUV on West Owens Avenue and then hit a nearby house. Donahue suffered a minor injury and refused ambulance transport, but his passenger, 46-year-old Marty Foreman of Robinson, suffered apparent serious injuries and was flown from the scene to Forbes Regional Medical Center in Monroeville. No one inside the home of Elmer and Rhonda Derry was hurt, but there was extensive damage to the house. The Derrys were asleep at the time of the crash. The vehicle that was hit is owned by Mary Boring and was totaled.
Donahue has a history of drunken driving, including multiple convictions in Indiana County, and he smelled of alcohol Thursday night, according to police. He allegedly refused a field sobriety test and had slurred speech and was having difficulty standing, but he claimed he had had only two beers.
Donahue was arrested at the scene and charged with felony aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, felony DUI, and misdemeanor accidents involving damage to another vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a controlled substance and of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of operating a vehicle without ignition interlock. He is also charged with eight summary driving violations, including driving while suspended. He will have a preliminary hearing on October 27th.
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