(Credit: Fairmount Fire Co./Facebook)
Nicole Ann McFarland, 44, of the 3100 block of Sycamore Lane, was found guilty by a Montgomery County Common Pleas judge in a nonjury trial in October.
An East Norriton woman with a lengthy history of DUI arrests and convictions has sentenced to 4 to 8 years in state prison, due to her role in a Saint Patrick’s Day two-vehicle crash on North Wales Road in 2023 that sent multiple people to the hospital.
Nicole Ann McFarland, 44, of the 3100 block of Sycamore Lane, will serve out her sentence at State Correctional Institution at Muncy, being convicted in a nonjury trial in October on charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, endangering the welfare of children, DUI of a controlled substance, accidents involving injury or death while not licensed, driving under suspension, speeding, and reckless driving, per court documents. Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Thomas C. Branca imposed the sentence.
Police said prior to the charges being filed, McFarland, a North Penn School District alumna, had been arrested nine times for DUI — five times within the last 10 years, as of December 2023 — which ultimately led to four DUI convictions, the most recent of which occurred on July 23, 2020. The newest set of charges represent her 10th arrest for DUI, according to police.
(Credit: Fairmount Fire Co./Facebook)
(Credit: Fairmount Fire Co./Facebook)First responders were dispatched to the scene near the Montgomery Mall around 6:30 p.m. March 17, 2023 for a report of a crash involving a gray 2019 Kia Sorento and a black 2022 Ford Explorer. Arriving personnel located two injured drivers, with the driver of the Kia — identified as a 62-year-old female — trapped inside of her vehicle.
Crews worked to extricate the female, who was eventually freed and transported via ambulance to Grand View Hospital for treatment of leg, back, and facial injuries, police said. Further investigation revealed the woman suffered a fractured left scapula, fractured ribs on her left side, and numerous fractures in her pelvis, requiring extensive physical therapy for the woman to be able to walk again, according to the criminal complaint.
The driver of the Ford — identified as McFarland — sustained a large facial laceration and was also transported via ambulance to Grand View Hospital, according to police. McFarland was described as "combative” on scene, with the criminal complaint stating she had kicked and punched people at the scene.
An occupant in McFarland’s vehicle — identified in the complaint as a 5-year-old female — complained of pain to her neck, back, and big toe, and was subsequently transported to the hospital, as well.
The investigation into the crash showed that McFarland was traveling northbound on North Wales Road when she crossed into oncoming traffic, then drove over a curb and onto the front lawn of a home, running over shrubbery and trees before turning back across traffic and continuing down the northbound side, police said. As McFarland’s vehicle approached the intersection with the Montgomery Mall entrance, she then struck the Kia head-on as it made a left turn onto southbound North Wales Road, according to charging documents.
(Credit: Fairmount Fire Co./Facebook)
(Credit: Fairmount Fire Co./Facebook)A download of the vehicle’s electronic control unit showed McFarland was traveling at 54.9 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash, police said, adding that McFarland was accelerating at the time of the crash.
The posted speed limit on that portion of North Wales Road is 35 miles-per-hour, police said.
The juvenile inside of McFarland’s vehicle later told police McFarland had become "loopy” while driving, and the results of the blood-chemical testing showed McFarland had tested positive for marijuana, cocaine, oxycodone, and phencyclidine (PCP) at the time of the crash, according to charging documents.
Charges were initially filed against McFarland on March 31, 2023, and an arrest warrant was subsequently issued. McFarland had an encounter with police in East Norriton Township, at which point she was taken into custody on the warrant.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
