A Pennsylvania taxi driver has been arrested after allegedly allowing the taxi he was driving to hit another vehicle. Though the accident occurred this past spring, he was arrested just last week.

The accident occurred where Scotch Cap Road and Route 32 intersect. A police report indicated the 38-year-old taxi driver rear-ended a van. At the time of the accident the man was employed with Norwich Taxi, LLC, and he was transporting a passenger. The taxi's other occupant was a pregnant woman who was seven months along at the time.

All three individuals involved in the accident sustained injuries. Accordingly, they were taken to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital for treatment. Though she still had two months remaining in her pregnancy, as a result of the accident, the passenger in the taxi delivered her baby early. The baby weighed only three pounds but fortunately was otherwise healthy. The extent of the injuries to the others involved in the accident is unknown.

Police ran toxicology tests on the taxi driver's blood which was drawn shortly after the accident. The results contradicted the man's statement that he had not used drugs before the accident. He said the collision occurred when he fell asleep behind the wheel. According to the report, he was under the influence of both cocaine and opiates at the time of the collision.

It is the report's findings that led to his arrest over six months after the accident. He was charged with multiple crimes including driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Source: Waterford Patch, "Man Arrested For Accident That Caused Premature Birth," Paul Petrone, Dec. 9, 2011