CLEARFIELD – A Madera man who fled the scene of an accident leaving two injured people while the vehicles burned was sentenced in Clearfield County Court.
Terry Lee Crownover, 32, 1921 Pine Run Rd., Madera, pleaded guilty to a felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury and two summaries.
He was sentenced to six months to one year in jail and two years consecutive probation. He was fined $370 plus costs and he must pay more than $36,000 in restitution. He must submit to DNA testing at a cost of $250.
The charges stem from an incident in Knox Township on May 8 when the vehicle Crownover was driving struck another vehicle head-on. The Crownover vehicle caught fire, which spread to the other vehicle. Crownover fled the scene.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the driver of the other vehicle told police that she was driving westbound at approximately 45 miles per hour when she saw the Crownover vehicle swerving out of control and heading straight for her. She slammed on the brakes and tried to get off the roadway, but the other vehicle struck her head-on. Her vehicle spun around.
The driver of the other vehicle, Crownover, came to the window and asked if she was OK. She told him she wasn’t and he helped her out of the vehicle. She saw the other vehicle was on fire and she asked Crownover to help get her husband out of the passenger’s side. Crownover said no, he had to get help and took off down the hill, screaming. She managed to free her husband and helped him roll down the hill before both vehicles caught fire.
When questioned by police, the victim’s husband verified her story.
Crownover told police that he was not trying to run away. He said the other vehicle was in the middle of the road. He claimed he swerved to try to avoid it, and his vehicle slid around and he was struck in the rear by the other vehicle. He did not know his vehicle rolled onto its side, all he remembered was getting out.
He said he asked the occupants of the other vehicle if they were OK, and they said they were. He said he than ran down the road screaming help, and once he got to his house, he tripped, fell onto his face and passed out. He did not think to contact police because he already saw people responding to the scene.
At the scene, officers could see skid marks on the road where the second vehicle tried to stop and pull over. There were no skid marks indicating Crownover had tried to stop his vehicle.
Officers determined from the evidence at the scene that after striking the other vehicle, Crownover’s vehicle spun around and rolled onto its side. The other vehicle spun in the opposite direction and came to rest with the rear of the vehicle facing the Crownover vehicle.
Both the driver and the passenger of the second vehicle suffered major injuries and were flown to UPMC Altoona for treatment.