Erie police: Woman speeding, driving without license in 2022 crash that killed passenger
An SUV occupied by two adults and young child was speeding along East 10th Street in Erie on the morning of Oct. 24, 2022, when it went out of control while passing a van and crashed, according to Erie police.
A passenger in the SUV, 31-year-old Dominique Williams, was killed in the crash and a 2-year-old child was injured, investigators said.
Erie police on Tuesday filed criminal charges against the driver of the SUV, 24-year-old Viviyana Miller, of Erie. She is accused of driving without a valid license, having THC in her system and traveling nearly three times the posted speed limit when the accident occurred, investigators wrote in her criminal complaint.
Erie 3rd Ward District Judge Tom Carney arraigned Miller on charges including felony counts of homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed and endangering the welfare of children. Carney set bond at $100,000.
Violent crash on East 10th Street and Gilson Avenue
The accident was reported shortly after 10 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2022, in the 1500 block of East 10th Street, near Gilson Avenue.
Investigators said the 2006 Chrysler Pacifica that Miller was driving was traveling west on East 10th Street when it made a sudden lane change and went into the eastbound lane while passing a westbound van. The SUV went back into the westbound lane before going out of control, police reported at the time.
The SUV went off the south side of the roadway and struck a utility pole, shearing it off, before it flipped over and came to rest against a fence at the Saia-LTL Freight property at 1523 E. 10th St.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:34 a.m.
The 2-year-old child in the vehicle was taken to UPMC Hamot and then transferred to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for treatment of undisclosed injuries, according to police.
A child booster seat was not found in the vehicle or at the crash scene after the accident, investigators wrote in Miller's criminal complaint.
Sgt. Thomas Dunmire, an accident investigator with the Erie Bureau of Police, wrote in the affidavit filed with Miller's criminal complaint that the accident was captured by video cameras in the area. An analysis done with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police determined the SUV was traveling 65 to 66 mph shortly before it went out of control and crashed, according to information in the affidavit.
The area where the crash occurred is posted with a 25 mph speed limit, Dunmire said.
Dunmire wrote in the affidavit that a check of Miller's driving history showed that she had a learner's permit that was suspended.
Miller was taken to UPMC Hamot after the accident and voluntarily submitted to chemical testing of her blood, according to information in the affidavit. Dunmire wrote that testing indicated the presence of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, in her blood at the time it was taken.
Miller is tentatively scheduled to appear in court for her preliminary hearing on Dec. 27, according to online case documents. A lawyer for her was not listed on the documents Wednesday.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNhahn.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Police charge Erie woman with homicide by vehicle in 2022 fatal crash
