From staff reports
Several felony charges have been filed against an Oil City woman who is accused of driving under the influence last month and causing severe injuries to four people in a hit-run crash in Victory Township.
Franklin state police have identified the woman as Sandra D. Francis, 60, of 315 Central Ave. in Oil City.
The charges, which were filed Wednesday, include multiple felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and accident involving death or personal injury.
Francis, who was driving a Dodge Durango, had fled the scene of the crash without stopping to render aid and notify police, the complaint said.
Witnesses said they observed the Durango prior to the crash traveling at a high rate of speed in the left lane of Route 8 south of Twin Oaks Road, the complaint said.
The witnesses also said they observed the Durango veer into the right lane and strike a Jeep Renegade occupied by four people, the complaint said.
The driver of the Jeep, who police identified in a press release last month as a 39-year-old Grove City woman, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to travel off the roadway and down an embankment, according to the complaint.
The vehicle then struck a tree and turned onto its roof before coming to rest, the complaint said.
Francis drove the Durango from the scene northbound on Route 8, and the vehicle was later found unoccupied by Franklin state police troopers in the gravel lot of Venango Steel about 4.6 miles north of the crash scene, the complaint said.
Francis was dropped off at the vehicle by her boyfriend while police were there, and she admitted to police she was driving the Durango, the complaint said.
She told police that she and another person were on their way home after working in Slippery Rock, according to the complaint.
Francis admitted consuming alcohol and taking prescription medication about an hour before the crash, and police said she had a strong odor of intoxicating beverage on her breath along with glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, the complaint said.
She was then taken to UPMC Northwest for chemical testing.
Francis was arraigned Wednesday on 25 charges, including four felony counts each of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and accidents involving death or personal injury.
Other charges include five misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, misdemeanor DUI charges, a misdemeanor count of accidents involving damage to attended vehicle or property and several summary violations.
Francis is free on bail, and her preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 7 in Venango County Central Court.
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