Cops: Woman driving 94 mph, in altercation with passenger caused his death in fatal Northampton crash
A Northampton woman was allegedly arguing and driving nearly 60 miles per hour over the speed limit — topping almost 95 mph — on a township road two months ago when she lost control of the car, crashed and killed her passenger, police said.
On Wednesday, Theresa Marie Dowling, 47, was arraigned on charges alleging she was driving recklessly, going 94 mph, when she caused the crash on Lower Holland Drive the morning of Feb 21. Andrew Craig, 56, was killed in the crash.
Northampton Chief Steven LeCompte said Dowling and Craig were in a relationship.
Dowling is charged with a felony offense of homicide by vehicle, and misdemeanors of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person, as well as summary traffic violations. She remains free on $75,000 unsecured bail.
Northampton police said Dowling was driving a 1990 Honda Accord east on Lower Holland Drive about 9:30 a.m. She and Craig were having an altercation at the time of the incident, according to police.
As her vehicle was going toward a home in the 100 block of Lower Holland Road, she steered to the left, causing her to enter a high-speed counterclockwise rotation, court documents state. Tire marks near the scene showed she had been going 94 mph on a 35 mph road just before that, according to police.
Her vehicle continued east in the westbound lane and she tried turning to the right, causing her vehicle to go into another high-speed rotation, this time going clockwise, police said.
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The Accord struck and went over a curb in the westbound shoulder, slid east across the property and crossed over to Grace Drive, where the vehicle rolled several times, court documents allege. The vehicle came to a rest upside down on a property on Grace Drive, near some large trees, police said.
Dowling was able to get out of the vehicle, but police said Craig, who was trapped in the vehicle, died from his injuries. Dowling was taken to St. Mary Medical Center for treatment of her injuries, according to police.
Her preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 12. She did not have an attorney listed for her Thursday.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office's crash reconstruction team, Northampton Fire Department and Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad assisted Northampton police.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Northampton woman charged in crash that killed man in February
