Pregnant mom driving drunk caused crash that killed son, injured 2 others, PA cops say
A pregnant woman had a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit in a February crash that resulted in the death of her 11-year-old son, Pennsylvania police said.
Police released details Thursday about the Feb. 23 crash in Manheim Township and announced 22 charges against Jennifer Johnson, 35.
Johnson was traveling with her son and driving up to 69 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the crash, according to police.
While driving on a bridge toward Lancaster City, Johnson entered the wrong lane and narrowly avoided two vehicles before striking another vehicle head-on. The two people in the other vehicle had injuries that were considered serious to life threatening, including one with “damaged organs and multiple broken bones.”
“Due to this speed, Johnson’s vehicle could not negotiate a curve in the roadway, thereby causing her to lose control and strike another vehicle head-on,” police said.
Johnson’s 11-year-old son was not wearing a seatbelt and died at a local hospital hours later. Johnson was also not wearing a seatbelt, according to police.
Police said Johnson knew she was pregnant at the time of the crash. She had a blood alcohol content of 0.262, which is more than three times the legal limit of 0.08, according to police.
“Johnson’s actions were the direct result of the child’s death,” police said.
Johnson was driving with a suspended license due to a previous DUI conviction.
She was charged Wednesday with the following:
▪ Aggravated assault of unborn child
▪ Homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence
▪ Aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence
▪ Homicide by vehicle
▪ Aggravated assault by vehicle
▪ Accidents involving injuries while not properly licensed (three counts)
▪ Endangering welfare of children
▪ Driving under the influence, general impairment
▪ Driving under the influence, highest rate of alcohol
▪ Recklessly endangering another person (four counts)
▪ Driving under suspension, DUI related
▪ Restraint systems (seatbelt, two counts)
▪ Reckless driving
▪ Driving vehicle at safe speed
▪ Driving within a single lane
▪ Driving on right side of roadway
Johnson was arrested and released after processing, according to the news release.