Pa. Woman's Car Was 'Flying' at Time of Fatal Crash

Sept. 5, 2012
Sherry Hubert said she was "flying like a bat out of hell" when her car hit another killing the driver instantly and fatally injuring a passenger.

Sept. 05--"Flying like a bat out of hell."

That is how Sherry Hubert described her driving after pushing her Chevrolet Lumina to 96 mph on Oak Street and colliding with a Ford Focus on July 21, killing the driver instantly and inflicting injuries that would result in a passenger's death days later, according to a criminal complaint.

It was Ms. Hubert's second pass on Oak Street, the 45-year-old told police, on which she had just sped up in an attempt to "jump the hills."

Unsatisfied with her effort to entertain her three juvenile passengers, Ms. Hubert, 143 Village Drive, Taylor, turned around in a gas station parking lot and sped east down Oak Street, hoping she could get the car to do "belly flops," according to the complaint.

The three juveniles in the car saw the Ford ahead of them and warned Ms. Hubert that she was driving too fast, they later told an interviewer at the Children's Advocacy Center, according to the complaint.

Ms. Hubert told them she had everything under control.

Then the Lumina careened over the last hill as a couple of loose cans of Four Loko bounced around inside and a 12-pack of Natural Ice beer sat beside Ms. Hubert, who saw the Ford Focus with just enough time to do nothing but crash directly into it, according to the complaint.

The collision all but crushed the Ford and killed its driver, Kim Smith, 48, of Taylor, instantly. A passenger in the Ford, Lydia Riley, 58, also of Taylor, died six days later due to injuries from the crash, according to the complaint.

When borough police officers arrived they found Ms. Hubert in the passenger seat of the Lumina, her eyes glossy and her speech slurred, and noted that she "appeared to be confused and in a stupor," according to the complaint.

Yes, she had been drinking and, yes, she was drunk, she told officers when asked, according to the complaint.

She had just left Walmart and then made a stop to pick up beer and Four Loko, also an alcoholic beverage. After drinking one of the Four Lokos, she explained, she got back in her car with the three juveniles and sped up Oak Street.

A records check on Ms. Hubert's license found that it had been suspended for a previous DUI-related incident, according to the complaint.

After arresting her on suspicion of driving under the influence, officers took Ms. Hubert to Regional Hospital of Scranton where a blood test found a 0.208 percent blood-alcohol-content, almost three times the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent, as well as THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana.

On Saturday, Taylor police Sgt. William Roche and Officer John Harrison filed a 24-count criminal complaint against Ms. Hubert, which includes two counts each of third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.

After an arraignment in front of Magisterial District Judge John J. Mercuri, Ms. Hubert was remanded to the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 10.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Follow @domalleytt on Twitter

Copyright 2012 - The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

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