Lake Ariel woman had wine before August crash that injured other driver, state police say

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·1 min read

Nov. 3—A Lake Ariel woman admitted she was drinking wine the August night she crashed her car in Madison Twp. and wounded another driver, state police at Dunmore said Thursday.

Laurel E. Altemier, 33, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and individual counts of aggravated assault by vehicle and DUI, according to a criminal complaint prepared by Trooper Bernard O'Malley. She also faces various traffic citations for the Aug. 28 crash.

Altemier declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday.

At around 10:30 p.m., Altemier tried to pass her friend, Ricci Chmelik, near 4290 Haas Pond Road and collided head-on with Cory Myers in the oncoming lane.

Chmelik, 32, of Moscow, is also charged with DUI and is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 8. Neither she nor Altemier were injured.

After the crash, the two women stayed at the scene and went to check on Myers, who was lying in the road.

Altemier smelled of alcohol and admitted she had been drinking, police said. She performed poorly on a field sobriety test.

Myers, 46, of Monroe Twp., suffered several lacerations and fractured bones. Since then, he has needed multiple surgeries, lost feeling in his right leg, and has decreased sensation in his left leg, state police said.

Myers remains in critical condition at Geisinger Community Medical Center, said spokesman Matt Mattei.

Bloodwork taken the night of the crash later revealed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.103. Drivers above 0.08 are considered under the influence.

Altemier is free on $25,000 unsecured bail set Wednesday afternoon by Magisterial District Judge Kipp Adcock. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.