A Parkwood man has been ordered to stand trial on allegations that he was driving drunk with his pregnant fiance and their 16-month-old son as passengers when he caused a two-car crash on Red Lion Road last October, killing the woman and her unborn son.
Troy Hall, 22, will be arraigned in Common Pleas Court on April 15 for charges including homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, DUI (first offense), involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment. Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni ordered the trial following a March 25 preliminary hearing.
The crash occurred at about 11:12 p.m. on Oct. 21 on Red Lion Road near Haldeman Avenue in Bustleton. Hall and his fiance, Anna Marie Drummond, 23, were traveling eastbound in a 2005 Mercury Marquis with the infant secured in a child car seat. According to police, the vehicle was traveling side-by-side with a 1994 Marquis being driven by Hall’s friend. A 19-year-old woman and 1-year-old boy also occupied the 1994 Marquis.
Moments after the cars crossed Haldeman Avenue, Hall lost control of his vehicle, hit a median strip, veered to the right, struck the other car, smashed into a tree and burst into flames. The other car spun out and came to rest in the left eastbound lane, police said.
Bystanders pulled Hall and the 16-month-old from the burning wreckage, but Drummond, of the 4300 block of I St. in Juniata Park, remained trapped and died at the scene, along with her unborn child. Hall suffered a broken leg, while the child suffered a lacerated lip.
The driver of the other car was uninjured, while his two passengers were hospitalized for observation with no serious injuries. Witnesses reportedly told police that the cars were traveling at excessive speed on the four-lane divided road, which has a 35 mph speed limit. Investigators tested both drivers for intoxication. Hall posted 10 percent of $50,000 bail on Jan. 18 and was freed pending trial. ••
