Man charged in deadly interstate crash admitted to officers he hid narcolepsy diagnosis, police say
By Emma Hogan
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SOUTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — The driver charged with homicide by motor vehicle after a deadly crash on I-81 in Cumberland County last week hid his narcolepsy diagnosis to keep his driver’s license, court documents say.
The crash happened around 7:20 a.m. on Oct. 23 on I-81 northbound near mile marker 47 in South Middleton Township.
Pennsylvania State Police say Rodis L. David III of Texas was driving the tractor-trailer that caused a seven-vehicle, chain-reaction crash.
David allegedly told state troopers that he was traveling 65-70 miles per hour in a 55-miles-per-hour zone when he saw that traffic was slowed in front of him and was unable to stop, hitting a Honda CR-V.
That Honda struck a Mitsubishi before the two cars were pushed off the road. David then hit a Subaru Forester that hit a Ram hauling a trailer before catching on fire. The force of that collision caused multiple other vehicles in front of the Ram to crash.
The driver of the Subaru Forester, Jessica Price of Newville, died as a result of the crash.
Three other victims were transported to a local hospital, one of whom suffered a brain bleed from the crash.
Driver admitted narcolepsy diagnosis PSP say David admitted to a state trooper after the crash that he hid a narcolepsy diagnosis he received in 2008 to keep his driver’s license.
Officers also found that a cell phone mount suction cupped to the front windshield of David’s vehicle was partly obstructing his view. They also found his vehicle had an expired inspection sticker.
He is charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, careless driving and other related charges.
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