Woman who used hands-free driving system in fatal DUI crash on I-95 turns herself in to face charges, police say
Dimple Patel was driving drunk and holding her phone at the time of the fatal crash, authorities say.
A Philadelphia woman who was drunk, speeding, and using the hands-free driving system of her Ford Mustang when she struck a car and killed two people on I-95 turned herself in Tuesday to Pennsylvania State Police to face charges including homicide by vehicle, vehicular manslaughter, and drunken driving, authorities said.
Dimple Patel, 23, was charged with multiple crimes in connection with a four-vehicle crash that took the lives of Aktilek Baktybekov and Tolobek Esenbekov on March 3, a spokesperson for the state police said.
Pennsylvania state troopers responded to the scene on I-95 northbound, near Bridge Street, around 3:20 a.m.
Investigators determined the red Toyota Prius that Baktybekov had been driving had become disabled on the left shoulder, with part of the car in the left lane, and Esenbekov, who was driving a gray Hyundai Elantra, parked his car behind the Prius, presumably to help Baktybekov, authorities said.
Baktybekov was standing near the front left of the Elantra and Esenbekov was getting out of his car when Patel, who was driving a Ford Mustang Mach-E, hit the back of the Elantra at a speed of 71 to 72 mph, exceeding the posted speed limit, authorities said.
The impact from the Mustang caused the Elantra to smash into the Prius and Baktybekov and Esenbekov were killed, authorities said. After hitting the Elantra from behind, Patel’s car also careened into another car.
It was unclear if there were other injuries.
At the time of the crash, Patel was using the Mustang’s BlueCruise hands-free driving feature, along with cruise control, according to investigators. Although it is unclear if she was texting at the time of the crash, Patel was found by troopers at the scene holding her phone in her hand, said Trooper Paul Holdefer, spokesperson for State Police Troop K.
Patel failed a field sobriety test and a toxicology report confirmed the presence of alcohol in her system at the time of the crash, he said.
According to the website for Ford’s BlueCruise technology, the system is designed to assist with steering, keep a vehicle centered in a lane, and adjust speed as appropriate.
In an email, a spokesperson for Ford said that “there is no priority higher than safety” at the company, and that Ford had been working with the investigating agencies. The spokesperson did not answer several questions about BlueCruise’s safety features, including if the system was meant to detect objects or obstacles.
“We extend our sympathies to those involved,” the spokesperson said.