LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster County jury is deliberating the fate of a Florida woman charged with being intoxicated and causing a 2014 crash in East Lampeter that killed a woman and seriously injured another person.
Patricia Halgash is charged with vehicular homicide while DUI, vehicular homicide, and numerous other counts regarding the March 13, 2014 crash on Old Philadelphia Pike, near Chateau Hill.
Sharon Mulhatten, 71, died in the crash. Her son, Troy Mulhatten, 54, sustained many injuries, including a torn aorta and broken leg.
The jury, picked Monday morning, listened to four days of testimony before beginning deliberations Thursday about 11:30 a.m.
Attorneys for both sides gave closing arguments Thursday morning.
Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright is presiding over the trial.
Assistant District Attorneys Maria Cusick and J. Alexander Marcinko called numerous witnesses, including Troy Mulhatten, police who investigated circumstances of the crash, and Dr. Wayne Ross, a forensic pathologist, who testified to how alcohol intake impairs driving and Halgash’s likely blood-alcohol level based on how many drinks she had.
Halgash had been drinking at a bar not far from the scene of the crash. She also told police she had taken prescription medications.
Her Mercedes veered into oncoming traffic on Old Philadelphia Pike and struck Mulhatten’s Chevy Caprice nearly head-on.
East Lampeter Township police Officer Bryan Kondras filed charges.
Halgash, who previously lived in Reinholds, has been free on unsecured bail since charges were filed.
Source: Lancaster County District Attorney