Woman charged with DUI for deadly I-95 crash in March turns herself into police
PHILADELPHIA - A multi-vehicle crash on a busy Philadelphia roadway claimed the lives of two people, and now police say the drunk driver responsible has surrendered to authorities months later.
Dimple Patel was charged last week with Homicide by Vehicle while DUI, Homicide by Vehicle, Involuntary Manslaughter, DUI, Reckless Driving, and related offenses.
The charges stem from a fatal crash on I-95 North near the Betsy Ross Bridge in the early morning hours of March 3.
Police say Patel was speeding and driving hands free when she hit the rear of one vehicle, causing a four-vehicle collision.
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Aktilek Baktybekov and Tolobek Esenbekov were both struck and killed by Patel's vehicle.
Police say Esenbekov had pulled over to help Baktybekov, whose vehicle was disabled on the shoulder, and partially the left lane.
Baktybekov was standing on the roadway at the time of the crash, while Esenbekov was exiting his vehicle.
Months later, Patel was charged in connection to the crash, and turned herself into the Pennsylvania State Police Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for the NTSB says they are completing a parallel investigation along with state police because of the use of partially automated vehicle technology.
In a statement, Pennsylvania State Police said: "The Pennsylvania State Police urges drivers to always stay alert and limit distractions when driving. No partially automated vehicle technology should ever be left alone to perform the driving tasks that are required to safely navigate the roads of the Commonwealth. While the advancements in technology are immense, always strive to maintain proper control of your vehicle. If you are driving hands free, be aware and ready to regain control if the situation warrants your immediate reaction."
David Aylor, Vice President of Active Safety for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says they have been monitoring systems and safeguards in place for drivers.
"For us, the main thing is making sure these systems keep the driver engaged, and that drivers know they’re not full self-driving, and they’re responsible for monitoring the environment and the situation around them," he said. "If you look at several things with fatalities in our country, drunk driving, speeding, unbelted occupants, those are three big ones and none of these systems will solve those problems, so those are problems that we as a society really need to address."
Zak Goldstein, attorney for Dimple Patel, says they are still investigating the allegations.
"Ms. Patel turned herself in this morning as requested and is presumed innocent," he said in a text message to FOX 29’s Kelly Rule. "The deaths are of course a tragedy. It has been widely reported that State Police indicated that the vehicle was driving itself, so we are certainly looking at that. We look forward to resolving this matter in court."