MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 21-year-old Harleysville man is charged with Homicide by Vehicle while under the influence in a crash in Hatfield over the summer that killed an elderly couple.
Authorities say Michael Lennon was high on marijuana and was driving too fast when his Ford Escape crashed into a Toyota Camry around 5 p.m. on June 8th at the intersection of Bethlehem Pike and Bergey Road, killing Jaime Burgos, 87, and wife Eva Burgos, 80. Both were in the back seat of the Camry.
According to charging documents, when he was asked what happened on the scene, Lennon initially told police he’d been cut off, but then said he was going too fast to make the turn from Bethlehem Pike onto Bergey Road. He also told police he had a medical marijuana card, and that there was paraphernalia and marijuana in his car.
When interviewed six days after the crash, Lennon told police he didn’t realize he was in a right-turn-only lane, and when he tried to change lanes there was a car blocking him.
But investigators say video from nearby businesses shows the lane next to Lennon was clear and nothing was preventing him from switching lanes.
Blood tests show marijuana in his system, at levels authorities say would have impaired his ability to drive safely.
This was the second crash in just over a year at that intersection resulting in homicide by vehicle charges. Last May, Aiden Jarrett pleaded guilty to racing and homicide by vehicle in a crash that killed 62-year-old Ida Lillo.