Crash that killed 80-year-old man near Boynton Beach brings DUI manslaughter charge for driver

BOYNTON BEACH — A Boynton Beach-area woman is facing a DUI manslaughter charge following a head-on crash along Hypoluxo Road that killed an 80-year-old man, the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office said.

Investigators say Jessica Vaeth's blood-alcohol content was more than twice the state's threshold for intoxication at the time of the wreck, the impact of which made the other vehicle roll over near Windpoint Way west of the city limits. Her car also was traveling more than 30 mph over the posted speed limit a few seconds before crashing, PBSO alleged.

Vaeth, 38, is free on a $50,000 bond and has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Her attorney, Donald Murrell Jr., declined to comment on the case Tuesday. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 27, online records show.

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Fatal crash sent victim's SUV rolling over along Hypoluxo Road

Investigators did not release the name of the person who died. The person's family invoked its right to privacy under a 2018 state constitutional amendment modeled on California's Marsy's Law. It allows either crime victims or their families to withhold their names from public reports.

The crash took place shortly after 10 p.m. June 8, according to Vaeth’s arrest report.

She was driving west on Hypoluxo in a 2019 Mazda CX-5. It struck the unidentified man’s 2018 Nissan Rouge, which was southbound and turning left from Windpoint onto eastbound Hypoluxo, the arrest report said.

The impact of the crash sent both cars rotating counterclockwise. Vaeth’s Mazda came to a stop soon afterward, but the Nissan struck the median and overturned onto its passenger side before coming to an upright stop.

Its driver died at Delray Medical Center from injuries he sustained in the wreck, PBSO said.

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PBSO: Driver hit brakes before wreck but remained above speed limit

Vaeth was taken to Bethesda Hospital West in suburban Boynton Beach for treatment of minor injuries. Investigators administered a toxicology screening at the scene showing she had a blood alcohol content of 0.222, more than two times over Florida's intoxication threshold of 0.08.

She was tested again at the hospital, which showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.188. The toxicology screening also shows she had THC in her system as well, the PBSO report said. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Vaeth told investigators she was driving home from a brewpub in Boynton Beach at the time of the crash and that she had consumed two alcoholic beverages.

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The data recorder from her Mazda indicated it had accelerated to 75 mph three seconds before the crash, but she had braked and slowed the car to 53 mph by the moment the crash happened, according to the arrest report. The posted speed limit on the road is 45 mph. The Nissan was moving at less than 10 mph.

Arianna Otero is a breaking News reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aotero@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ari_v_otero. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DUI manslaughter charge filed in crash that killed man, 80, near Boynton