Injured Hempfield motorist OKs plea agreement for wrong-way driver

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read
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Oct. 14—A Hempfield man was ordered to spend two years on probation Thursday for being impaired during a 2019 wrong-way crash on Route 30 that seriously injured another motorist.

Larry T. Miller Sr., 75, also was sentenced to 40 days on home electronic monitoring. He entered a guilty plea Thursday to reckless endangerment and three counts of driving under the influence, all misdemeanors.

Assistant District Attorney Theresa Miller-Sporrer said the victim in the case OK'd the plea agreement after seeing how Miller's health has declined while the case worked its way through the court system.

"Seeing him in the condition he is changed the way she felt and she was then amenable to the" plea bargain, Miller-Sporrer said.

Miller appeared in the courtroom in a wheelchair.

The head-on crash happened at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 14, 2019 on Route 30 eastbound near the Cedar Street exit in Hempfield. Miller was driving west in the eastbound lanes and collided with another vehicle around a bend, according to court papers.

The female driver of the eastbound vehicle saw headlights coming toward her but didn't have time to react, police said. Both she and Miller were hospitalized after the crash.

Troopers said Miller's blood-alcohol content was 0.156%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08%. Miller also had opiates and prescription medication used to treat anxiety in his system, according to court papers. Police said they found about 3 grams of suspected cocaine in Miller's pocket.

More serious charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Miller-Sporrer said the victim continues to have difficulty with daily life as a result of the injuries she sustained.

Miller was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo a 12-month suspension of his drivers license. He will be permitted to attend medical appointments during the period of house arrest.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .