Police say that the woman who hit and killed two people on a Philadelphia highway in March while driving drunk used a partly automated driving system.
Pennsylvania State Police said in a report that 23-year-old Dimple Patel is being charged with multiple crimes, including DUI homicide and involuntary manslaughter. On Tuesday, Patel turned herself into the cops.
I-95 was the scene of the accident around 3 a.m. on March 3. It looked like one of the cars had pulled over to the left side of the highway to help the other. While one driver got out of his car and the other stood nearby, Patel hit one of the cars from behind, causing a four-car crash that killed both men, who were named as Aktilek Baktybekov and Tolobek Esenbekov.
At the time of the accident, Patel was using Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving mode with adaptive cruise control turned on.
“No partially automated vehicle technology should ever be left alone to do the driving tasks that are needed to keep everyone safe on the roads of the commonwealth,” the Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement released Tuesday. “While the advancements in technology are immense, always strive to maintain proper control of your vehicle.”
Ford’s BlueCruise system lets drivers take their hands off the steering wheel on certain parts of the highway. The system handles steering, braking, and speeding up by using sensors outside the car to monitor its surroundings. A camera that faces the driver should make sure that they stay alert and can take control of the car at any time.
Zak Goldstein, Patel’s lawyer, told NBC News on Wednesday that the BlueCruise system’s part in the crash would be very important to the case.
“Whether that system played a role in the crash is certainly something we are going to look at very carefully because Pennsylvania law requires that a DUI, which has also not yet been proven, actually be the cause of any death for a homicide while DUI charge,” said Goldstein.
“She is thought to be innocent, so let’s not judge her too quickly,” he said. “We are excited to be able to settle this in court.”
Records from the court show that Patel was charged on Tuesday and posted bail on the same day. The next meeting for her is set for September 17.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started a review in April after two fatal crashes involving Mustang Mach-Es with Ford’s BlueCruise driving system. This crash was one of them. Ford had said it would help with the probe.
Auto safety officials are still keeping a close eye on driver assistance and self-driving car systems. Early this year, Tesla’s Autopilot was tied to hundreds of accidents involving multiple vehicles and several deaths.
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