A construction worker was injured after a vehicle fleeing state police crashed late Friday night.
Two state troopers were on patrol along the eastbound Pennsylvania Turnpike in the Newportville section of Bristol Township when a silver Pontiac Sunfire sped past “at a high rate of speed,” according to court papers.
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The troopers activated emergency lights and sirens on their vehicle and the Sunfire failed to stop, state police said.
During the chase, the Sunfire allegedly weaved between lanes, didn’t use its turn signal, and drove at over 100 mph through an active work zone with construction workers nearby.
The vehicle, according to state police, nearly hit the front of a police vehicle.
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As the Sunfire attempted to go around a vehicle on the shoulder, it lost control and slammed into a Toyota Prius before hitting a construction truck and trailer, causing a nearby construction worker to be thrown about 20 feet, state police said.
Troopers said the construction worker suffered “severe injuries.”
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The Sunfire became wedged between the trailer and the Jersey barrier.
Troopers took the driver of the Sunfire – Jeffrey Robert Giroud Jr., 39, of Upper Moreland, Montgomery County – into custody, state police said.
Giroud said he “messed up” and needed help, adding he was drinking earlier in the day and takes prescription drugs, state police said.
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Giroud was arraigned early Saturday morning on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, DUI, reckless endangerment, and more than a dozen summary traffic offenses. On-call District Judge Mark Douple set bail at 10 percent of $150,000, which Giroud was unable to post as of Monday.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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