Drunk driver who killed Irishman in NY had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood

Drunk driver who killed Irishman in NY had twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood

A drunk driver who killed an Irish couple in upstate New York has been remanded in jail with a $100,000 bail set.

The drunken driver who mowed down Irish man John Heneghan and his wife Caitlin Holtzman in a horrific crash in upstate New York had alcohol levels twice the legal limit in his system police in Clifton Park, New York, have revealed. He is being held in Saratoga County jail.

Judge James Hughes set bail at $100,000 for Dickie R.Win whose truck crossed the divide on Route 9 outside Albany at 3 pm on Saturday of Memorial weekend and crashed into the Heneghan’s car, which was stopped at a red light. The collision killed the husband and wife and badly injured three other passengers who were all on their way to a wedding.

Winn, 58, an army veteran, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular manslaughter, and driving while intoxicated in connection with the crash that killed Heneghan, 33, and Caitlin Holtzman Heneghan, 32.

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Heneghan, 33, and Caitlin Holtzman Heneghan, 32. Image: Facebook.

A Memorial Service for the couple will take place on Saturday, June 8, at 1 pm in Derry Presbyterian Church, Hershey, Pennsylvania followed by Funeral Mass/Memorial Service in Tourmakeady, Co Mayo, and interment of ashes.

The Albany Times Union reported that “the lawyer for the ...man accused of drunken driving in Saturday's crash that killed two people asked a judge and the public not to ‘pre-judge’ his client.”

Oscar Schreiber stated Winn has no criminal record and that he served in the army for nearly 30 years, doing seven tours.

Luke O’Doherty and Enda Crowley, both 25, were traveling with Heneghan when the crash occurred, along with American passenger Julia Staples, 24.

Both men and the woman sustained serious injuries, but are not thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

Read more: Irish man and his wife killed by drunk driver in upstate NY crash

All three injured passengers were transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment.  

In a statement released after the accident, New York State Police said, “Shortly before 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Troopers responded to a motor vehicle accident that occurred at the intersection of State Route 9 and Ushers Rd in the town of Clifton Park.

“A vehicle traveling southbound on State Route 9 left its lane of travel, and struck another vehicle that had been traveling east on Ushers Rd. and was stopped for the traffic light at the intersection of State Route 9.”