A Dickson City councilman killed in a car crash May 25 drank alcohol at his son’s wedding and argued with a family member before getting behind the wheel intoxicated, according to a South Abington Twp. police report.
Michael G. Fedorka, 69, of Dickson City, had a blood alcohol level of .22%, more than twice the legal limit of .08%, according to preliminary results reported to police by the Lackawanna County coroner’s office. His pickup crossed into the wrong lane and collided head-on with another vehicle, injuring the driver.
A family member told police Fedorka had two mixed drinks and several shots before getting behind the wheel, according to a report submitted to the state Department of Transportation.
Police reviewed video of the crash, which showed Fedorka’s white Toyota Tundra pulled out of an Exxon gas station heading north and then crossed into the southbound lane before colliding with the Toyota Tacoma driven by Som Limbu.
Police noted Fedorka appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed when his vehicle hit Limbu’s pickup and a fireball erupted.
Limbu was traveling at an appropriate speed, driving south in the southbound lane, police said.
In a supplemental statement included in the PennDOT report, Officer Timothy McCoy reported Fedorka’s blood alcohol concentration as reported to him by Lackawanna County Coroner Timothy Rowland. The coroner said the results were preliminary and the autopsy hasn’t been finalized, pending toxicology results.
After reviewing damage to both vehicles, witness statements, video footage and blood results from the coroner’s office, McCoy wrote that it was his opinion that Fedorka caused the crash.
Crews responding to the crash found Fedorka thrown from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side of the pickup. He wasn’t breathing and emergency personnel began performing lifesaving measures before he was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Responders found Limbu sitting on the side of the road gasping and holding his chest. He was also transported to Geisinger CMC, where he was deemed to be in critical condition, with broken bones and requiring a chest tube.
Limbu was subsequently deemed medically stable, but continues to recover.