What did Jared Detwiler do? 19-year-old driver arrested after car crash kills Altoona Area High School student

Car on road (Image via Pexels/Burak The Weekender)
Car on road (Image via Pexels/Burak The Weekender)

Jared Detwiler, 19, is facing homicide by vehicle and DUI (driving under the influence) charges after his co-passenger died in a car crash. According to the police, the car crash that took place in Altoona killed a 17-year-old Altoona Area High School student. The student has been identified as Lundyn Treese.

Per WJAC-TV News, the police reported that Detwiler was under the influence of alcohol while driving a Dodge Ram truck. He was driving west on the 900 block of 10th Ave Expressway after 4 a.m. As he allegedly crossed the traffic lanes, the truck hit a tree and post and crashed into four vehicles parked in the Green Avenue Towers parking lot.

Detwiler and Treese, sitting in the front seats, were thrown out of the vehicle. While the 17-year-old schoolgirl lost her life, Detwiler landed in the grass. Another teenager, sitting in the back seat, safely alighted the vehicle unscathed.

After a test, Detwiler's BAC (blood alcohol content) was over 2.5 times above the legal limit. Per the officers, he had a fractured vertebra, a broken right foot, and a swollen eye after the accident. Moreover, his blood was drawn for testing within an hour of the crash.

Jared Detwiler is facing multiple second-degree charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, two counts of DUI, traffic and speed violations, and the purchase of alcoholic beverages by a minor.

The teenager sitting in the backseat revealed that she gave Detwiler the truck's keys because she knew him from previous parties. The three of them allegedly left a house party before the accident.

Lundyn Treese's family raises over $30k via GoFundMe after car crash involving Jared Detwiler

Lundyn Treese was a part of the Altoona Area High School girl's soccer team. After the 17-year-old's untimely death, her aunt set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for her funeral. Per the GoFundMe page, her aunt mentioned that Treese's family will be able to focus on her little sister and not the cost of her funeral with the help of the funds. So far, over $31,000 has been raised from a target of $25,000.

A makeshift memorial for Treese has been set up at the site of the accident. Several people who knew Treese, including her schoolmates, have offered flowers, cards, teddy bears, and more to her memorial.

Following the charges, a preliminary hearing for Jared Detwiler has not been scheduled yet.

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Edited by pshmueni