An Ambler woman is headed to county jail after pleading guilty to her role in a February 2022 crash on Morris Road that left one man hospitalized with serious injuries.
Erin Churney, 38, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Additional counts of misdemeanor DUI, as well as related traffic offenses, were dropped in exchange for her plea.
Churney was sentenced on Monday to 10 to 23 months in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility followed by eight years of probation, according to a spokesperson with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Churney — who will be eligible for work release — was also ordered to pay $61,000 in restitution to the victim as part of her sentence.
The district attorney’s office said in a statement to North Penn Now that the victim of the crash was “adamant that his focus was on restitution, and not punishment.”
First responders were dispatched to the scene near the intersection of Pinecroft Place at 8:45 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2022, for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries and rescue. Investigators said a 2012 Ford Escape driven by Churney was traveling westbound on Morris Road when it veered off the roadway, traveled up an embankment, then returned to the road and struck a white pickup truck on the front driver’s side area.
Crews from Wissahickon Fire Company worked to free the driver of the pickup truck, who was then transported via ambulance to Abington Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. It was later determined that the man’s injuries included a broken femur in two places as well as internal bleeding, according to the charging documents against Churney.
Police at the scene described Churney as smelling of alcohol with slurred speech and poor balance. She reportedly told investigators “[she] f—ked up” and apologized for the crash at the scene, police said.
Churney would go on to fail a series of field sobriety tests, and once in custody, she agreed to a blood draw at Suburban Community Hospital for blood-alcohol content testing, police said.
On March 1, 2022, the result of the blood test was provided to police, showing Churney had a blood-alcohol content of .285% at the time of testing, according to the criminal complaint. The results also showed the presence of Clonazepam, Xanax and oxycodone, police said.
See also:
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