LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County man is facing several charges after police say he crashed a pickup truck head-on into two horse and buggies in an incident last week.
One person was seriously injured and one of the horses was killed in the crash, which occurred at 9:23 p.m. on April 18 in Salisbury Township, according to State Police.
Cory James Moore, 39, was allegedly driving under a suspended license at the time of the crash, police say. The pickup truck belonged to a relative, and he was driving it without permission, he later told police, according to the criminal complaint affidavit.
Moore is also accused of fleeing the scene on foot, without stopping to help either of the buggy drivers, both of whom were trapped inside their vehicles, one with serious injuries, police said in the complaint.
The victims were extricated by emergency personnel. One of them was transported to Lancaster General Hospital with serious head injuries, a dislocated hip, and multiple lacerations on his head, face, and legs.
One of the buggy's horses was killed, and a horse with the second buggy was seriously injured, police say. The criminal complaint does not say if the driver of the second buggy suffered any injuries.
The buggy driver who sustained serious injuries in the crash told police he was driving west on Cains Road when the pickup truck swerved in front of him, striking the buggy head-on. The man said he lost consciousness and did not remember any additional details, according to the complaint.
Moore turned himself in to police shortly after noon on April 19, the complaint states. He told police he was driving on Cains Road in dark and rainy conditions and was blinded by the buggy's lights when he crashed.
Moore said he fled from the scene because his license was suspended due to multiple DUI offenses and because he was driving a relative's truck without permission. He said he was not drinking at the time of the crash, but waited to turn himself in because he was "scared," the complaint says.
He allegedly told a witness not to call police and said he did not check on the condition of the other drivers because "his mind was running," police said.
Moore also said he was not wearing a seatbelt "because he does not believe in wearing them."
Police say Moore had been cited for driving under a suspended license three other times, most recently in 2020.
Moore is charged with two felony counts of accidents involving personal injury, aggravated assault by vehicle, and summary or misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle while license is suspended, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to stop and render aid, failure to notify police of an accident, disregarding traffic lanes, failure to use a seat belt, and operating a vehicle without required financial responsibility.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Raymond Sheller, who set bail at $250,000.
Moore is currently in Lancaster County Prison after failing to post bail.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 2.
