Hempfield man pleads guilty in DUI crash that seriously injured another motorist
Jun. 21—A Hempfield man pleaded guilty Monday in connection with a 2019 drunken-driving crash that seriously injured another motorist.
Joseph J. Forbes, 66, entered a general plea to charges of aggravated assault by vehicle and driving under the influence. Prosecutors dismissed other offenses.
State police arrested Forbes in connection with the Sept. 14, 2019, crash at 10:30 p.m. on Mt. Pleasant Road in Hempfield near the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg campus. A witness told troopers Forbes was following behind her closely as she was driving the 45 mph speed limit, according to court papers.
He attempted to pass her on a bend in the road and slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle, police said. The driver of the other car had numerous broken bones and a liver laceration. Authorities said he had a metal rod implanted in his leg as a result of the crash.
Police said Forbes was uncooperative with paramedics at the scene and smelled of alcohol, according to court papers. His blood-alcohol content was 0.216%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08%.
Judge Timothy Krieger ordered Forbes to undergo a presentencing investigation.
"You will come back for sentencing in 90 days," Krieger said.
Pennsylvania in 2019 recorded 125,267 vehicle crashes, which was the lowest total in the previous six years, according to the 2020 PennDOT Crash Facts & Statistics report. More than 75,000 injuries were reported from those crashes.
Alcohol was reportedly involved in 9,390 crashes statewide in 2019, resulting in 4,490 injuries, PennDOT reported.
There were 3,124 crashes reported in Westmoreland County in 2019.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
