SHAMOKIN - Police say a Girardville man was high on drugs when he slammed his sedan into the back of a sport-utility vehicle last September at the traffic light near the Coal Township Walmart Supercenter.
John Weidensaul, 39, of 225 A St., tested positive for methamphetamine and Xanax, according to a criminal complaint last month by township Patrolman Edward Purcell Jr.
Purcell said Weidensaul appeared high at Geisinger Medical Center - glossy eyes, slurred speech, raspy voice - where he was driven by ambulance. At points he was restless and repeatedly scratched at his skin, Purcell said, and at other points he drifted off into other subjects during conversation about the crash.
"He appeared to be out of it," Purcell wrote in the complaint.
Weidensaul is charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and careless driving.
Weidensaul was behind the wheel of a 1999 Dodge Stratus driving north on Route 61 about 10:10 a.m. Sept. 27 when he rammed a 2012 Jeep driven by Kevin Thomas, 32, of 1439 Poplar St., Kulpmont. Thomas was stopped in the turning lane to make a left into Walmart. A witness said the turning arrow just turned green when the crash occurred.
Jillian Yackera, 32, also of 225 A St., Girardville, was flown by Life Flight helicopter to the medical center. Police said neither Yackera nor Weidensaul were wearing a seat belt. Thomas was wearing a seat belt and escaped injury.
According to police, Weidensaul estimated he was traveling at between 45 and 50 mph. A witness said he was all over the road, that he had passed a vehicle by crossing the double-yellow line in Kulpmont, and that he almost crashed into the woods just north of Walmart.
