Driver arraigned in May accident that killed passenger
FRANKLIN TWP — A Butler man is accused of being drunk nearly eight months ago when the sport utility vehicle he was driving slammed into a tree, killing his passenger.
Jason P. Williams, 45, was arraigned Wednesday on a list of charges including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence in the May 12 crash that claimed the life of 33-year-old Brandon M. Lucas of Prospect.
State police said Williams about 2:40 a.m. lost control of a Chevrolet Trailblazer on Route 528 near English Oak Drive in Franklin Township and hit a tree head-on.
Troopers found the defendant in the driver's seat. Emergency crews said he suffered unknown injuries but was conscious and talking to rescuers. A medical helicopter later flew him to a Pittsburgh hospital.
Lucas was in the front passenger seat. Butler County Coroner William Young III pronounced him dead at the scene.
Ken Wilson, chief of the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department, called the wreck at the time “one of the hardest impacts I've seen for a while.”
Police said they spoke to Williams before he was taken to Allegheny General Hospital. He admitted he had been drinking alcohol, according to court documents.
Toxicology results from a blood draw subsequently showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.151 percent. A level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated under state law.
Read more about this story in Thursday's Butler Eagle.
