A Harrisburg taxi driver has been charged criminally in relation to a motorcycle accident that resulted in the deaths of five motorcyclists last June. The collision between the taxi van and several motorcycles resulted in the deaths of two couples and another man in Lancaster County. The taxi driver has now been criminally charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and disregarding a traffic lane.

There are no reports of a personal injury or wrongful death action being brought by the families or survivors of the accident victims, but such a suit may be brought after criminal liability has already been established.

According to reports, the taxi driver involved in the accident had a history of traffic violations and may have been suffering from severe hypoglycemia or low blood sugar when the crash occurred. Law enforcement has concluded that the driver has had diabetes for more than 15 years and was well aware of the danger in not treating his condition.

According to a witness that was passenger in the taxi van before the crash, the driver was driving erratically, swerving into oncoming traffic, hitting road signs, and speeding up to 90 to 100 miles per hour before crashing into the group of motorcycles.

The facts are not entirely clear at this point, but if a personal injury or wrongful death suit were to be brought by the families of the victims, some of the things that would need to be investigated would be the driver's knowledge and understanding of his condition and the dangers of not treating it property.

In addition, the potential liability of the cab company would most likely be considered because they hired the driver and allowed him to work while presumably knowing about his medical condition and his record of traffic violations and previous license suspensions.

Related Resources:

Cab driver charged in 5-fatal Pa. motorcycle crash (Altoona Mirror)