An outing to have a good time a birthday was an unfathomable tragedy for a Franklin household when an alleged drunken driver plowed into their car, killing a 5-year-old lady and critically injuring her brother and mom.
James Blanchard, 21, of Franklin, allegedly informed police that he drank two beers whereas at a landscaping job Saturday afternoon earlier than he opened a 1.75-liter bottle of Tito’s Vodka and “began drinking straight out of it,” on his method dwelling from Plainville.
The Franklin Police Division responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash with entrapment and one car smoking within the space of 76 Grove St., close to a dentist’s workplace, health middle and a day spa, at about 6:22 Saturday night, in keeping with an incident report.
An officer noticed the 5-year-old lady on the bottom, struggling, with a civilian supporting her head. As responders cared for the lady, her father, recognized as Atulkumar Patel, was “panic-stricken and unable to keep himself composed,” the police report states.
Responders referred to as for a medical flight to take the lady to a hospital. Whereas en path to the touchdown zone, the lady’s “heart stopped,” the police report particulars.
Medical personnel pronounced the lady useless on the hospital.
Responders rushed the lady’s mom, later recognized as Minaben Patel, 38, and brother, who had simply turned 14 on Saturday, to UMass Memorial Medical Middle in Worcester with critical accidents.
Atulkumar Patel informed an officer that he was driving the sedan, which Blanchard struck, whereas en path to Blackstone for his son’s birthday, when he noticed a truck driving in his lane.
“He tried to avoid being hit by the truck by turning left into the opposite lane of travel,” the police report states, “but they ended up colliding anyway.” The daddy didn’t show indicators of intoxication, the report provides.
Blanchard is being held on $250,000 money bail after his arraignment at Wrentham District Courtroom on Tuesday, with circumstances for his launch together with that he be alcohol free, undergo alcohol testing, and that he not drive. A not responsible plea was entered on his behalf.
Whereas on the scene on Saturday, Blanchard informed an officer that he was coming from Plainville, the place he works, and “then all of a sudden there was a crash.” The officer then requested whether or not he crossed over into the oncoming lane.
“Blanchard provided an evasive response,” the police report states, “saying that he doesn’t remember too much and that the crash happened very fast.”
The officer famous that he noticed the “odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage coming from Blanchard’s direction,” earlier than a responding lieutenant came visiting and requested the person if he had been consuming after discovering two 1.75-liter bottles of Tito’s Vodka and PBR beers within the truck.
“Blanchard delayed his response and said, ‘No, I have not,’” the police report states, however the outcomes of a breath check confirmed the person’s blood alcohol content material at 0.189, greater than double the authorized restrict of 0.08.
Throughout an interview on the Franklin Police Division on Sunday, Blanchard informed officers that he purchased a 1.75-liter bottle of Tito’s Vodka and a PBR beer at a Plainville liquor retailer after working as a mechanic Saturday morning, earlier than a landscaping job.
Whereas landscaping, Blanchard mentioned he had two beers after which opened the bottle of Tito’s when he left and “began drinking straight out of it” on his drive dwelling to Franklin.
Blanchard added that the opposite Tito’s bottle, empty, was from the evening earlier than.
A memorial, consisting of a wood cross, flowers, and stuffed animals, was rising on the scene.
His protection legal professional, Timothy Flaherty, requested that he be held on $10,000 money bail, with circumstances for his launch to incorporate digital monitoring and that he enter an alcohol rehabilitation middle.
Choose Thomas Finigan accredited the prosecutors’ request, setting bail at $250,000, because of the nature of the case and the potential for Blanchard going through extra costs.
He at the moment faces costs of motorcar murder whereas driving negligently and drunk, three counts of working drunk and inflicting critical bodily harm, negligent operation of a motorcar, working a motorcar with an open container of alcohol, and a marked lanes violation.
Blanchard is scheduled to subsequent seem in courtroom on June 24 for a pretrial listening to.
