State College man accused of drunk driving in crash that killed Penn State student
A State College man was accused Monday of driving under the influence when he caused an August crash that killed a Penn State student from Boalsburg.
Alexander M. Hynoski, 19, slammed a 2014 Subaru Impreza into a semitrailer before dawn at the intersection of U.S. Route 322 and Mountain Back Road in Potter Township, state police at Rockview wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
His blood alcohol content was 0.07%, police wrote. The legal threshold for DUI for those younger than 21 is 0.02%. Defense lawyer Brian Manchester declined comment.
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Biddle, a 20-year-old rear seat passenger, died in the crash. The State College Area High School alumna was in the midst of her junior year at Penn State, pursing a degree in communications. She worked at the Hublersburg Inn.
Hynoski traveled through a stop sign, entered the major highway “without proper clearance” and crashed into the side of the eastbound semitrailer, police wrote.
He told investigators he consumed about four alcoholic beverages at a party before driving and estimated driving about 40 mph before the crash, police wrote.
Hynoski’s front seat passenger, a State College woman who was evaluated and declined further treatment, said, “Alex was going way too fast,” police wrote.
Hynoski was treated for minor injuries at Mount Nittany Medical Center. Police did not release information about the driver of the semitrailer. Part of the highway was closed for about nine hours.
Hynoski was charged with one felony count of homicide by vehicle while DUI, two misdemeanor counts of DUI, four summary traffic violations and one summary count of purchasing alcohol as a minor.
He was arraigned Monday by District Judge Greg Koehle, who released him on $100,000 unsecured bail. Hynoski’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 18.