A Danville man has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence for a deadly crash on an East Hempfield Township highway in September.

Apar Shirishkumar Patel, 36, was charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle, two counts of driving under the influence and four summary traffic offenses.

Judge Brian Chudzik set Patel’s bail at $250,000 during an arraignment Friday. Patel is currently free after having posted that amount.

Patel, of the 1500 block of 2nd Street, crashed into a tractor-trailer that had pulled onto the shoulder of westbound Route 283 near mile marker 26.7 around 11:30 p.m. Sept. 8.

The impact of the crash ripped open the side of Patel’s vehicle and rendered the passenger-side seatbelt useless, causing 33-year-old Karra Clevenger to be ejected from the passenger compartment, over the center barrier and onto eastbound traffic lanes where she was struck by multiple oncoming vehicles.

Clevenger was pronounced dead at the scene. Her cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries as a result of the collision. 

Witnesses told investigators that Patel appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.  During an interview following the crash, investigators observed Patel displaying signs of impairment and learned that he and Clevenger had been out to dinner in Lancaster city. A subsequent investigation determined that in the hours prior to the crash Patel and Clevenger consumed alcoholic beverages at three separate locations.

Medical blood drawn from Patel after the crash showed he had a BAC of .134% at the time.

A reconstruction of the crash determined that Patel drifted onto the shoulder of the road, was speeding at the time of the collision and made no attempt to slow down or change lanes before he crashed into the parked tractor trailer.

Sergeant Joshua Sandman of East Hempfield Township police filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorneys Kyle Linardo and Ande Gonzalez will prosecute the case.