Upper Gwynedd Man was Drunk Driving When He Struck, Launched Elderly Pedestrian into Air, Police Say

Keith Heffintrayer•

Christopher Malone, 57, of Upper Gwynedd.

An Upper Gwynedd man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from a pair of vehicle crashes in Montgomery Township and Lansdale Borough — the former of which sent an elderly man to a hospital in Philadelphia with serious injuries.

Christopher Malone, 57, of the 100 block of Barry Avenue, has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and accidents involving death or personal injury, along with misdemeanor counts of DUI and summary counts of reckless driving, careless driving, failure to stop and render aid, failure to notify police of an accident involving injury or death, and failure to keep right, in connection with an investigation by the Montgomery Township Police Department.

On Oct. 15, Montgomery Township Police responded to an incident in the area of the 1100 block of West Thomas Road at 5:57 p.m. involving a pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle. While enroute to the scene, police were informed that the striking vehicle — described as a white four-door sedan — had fled the scene and was last seen traveling towards Lansdale Borough.

Upon arrival, police located a 74-year-old male lying on the side of the road in grass next to a private driveway. The victim was described as breathing but unconscious and unresponsive, and was subsequently transported from the scene via ambulance to Lansdale Hospital, where he was airlifted to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia in serious condition.

A witness told police that they were walking next to the victim northbound on West Thomas Road on the left side of the southbound lane at the road’s edge, when they heard a thump and saw the victim flying through the air.

It was "like someone shot him out of a cannon,” the victim told police, according to the criminal complaint.

As a result of being struck by the vehicle, the victim ultimately suffered a traumatic brain injury, subdural bleeding, multiple fractures to his left-and-right-side ribs, multiple facial fractures, impaired swallowing and left facial palsy, police said.

Approximately 11 minutes after the dispatch in Montgomery Township, members of the Lansdale Borough Police Department were dispatched to the 400 block of Jefferson Street for a two-vehicle crash. Upon arrival, police made contact with the driver of the striking vehicle — identified as Malone — and determined that his 2012 Chevrolet Impala had struck a stopped vehicle, police said.

Police described Malone as having slurred speech and being unsteady on his feet, and Malone reportedly told police that he had had a few drinks earlier while visiting with a family member, the report states. Malone then failed a series of field sobriety tests and was taken into custody, police said.

Malone was transported to Lansdale Hospital for a blood draw to determine his blood alcohol content, the report states. While there, investigators from Montgomery Township attempted to question him about the pedestrian being struck by a vehicle, however Malone would not provide answers to their questions, according to the complaint.

Crash scene investigators would later match damage from Malone’s driver’s side to the crash that injured the pedestrian on West Thomas Road, and multiple home surveillance systems recorded his vehicle traveling in that area at the time of the crash, police said. The investigation further determined that there were no mechanical issues with the vehicle, and the cause of the crash was listed as Malone failing to keep his vehicle on the right side of the road due to his alcohol impairment, the report states.

The results of Malone’s chemical blood test were returned on Nov. 2 and showed he had a blood-alcohol content of .19% at the time of testing — more than twice the legal limit of .08%, according to the complaint.

Charges were filed against Malone on Nov. 19, and he was subsequently taken to county jail after failing to post $50,000 cash bail. Court records show Malone posted bail on Nov. 22 and was released from custody. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. in front of District Judge Andrea Duffy.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.