Driver Charged In Fatal Airport Shuttle Van Crash Is Remorseful, Attorney Says
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Authorities say the driver of a car that struck a hotel shuttle van near Boston's airport and killed two visitors from Texas was drunk.
Steven Birenbaum, of Swampscott, was released on $5,000 bail after pleading not guilty at his arraignment Monday to several charges, including two counts of manslaughter while driving drunk.
Prosecutors say the 27-year-old Birenbaum was speeding and under the influence of marijuana and prescription medications when he struck the rear of the van, which was heading for a hotel after picking up travelers from Logan International Airport at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 31.
Two van passengers, 59-year-old Joseph Rodriguez and 47-year-old Sandra Arreola, both of El Paso, Texas, were ejected and died.
Birenbaum's attorney called the crash an "unfortunate, tragic accident" and says his client is remorseful.
"Cases like this one speak to the urgency with which lawmakers should address marijuana-impaired driving," Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a statement released by his office Monday.
"It's a proven fact that driving under the influence of marijuana is every bit as dangerous as it is for alcohol, but unlike alcohol, we don't yet have a way to quantify a driver's impairment from marijuana. Colorado and Washington have implemented per se THC impairment parameters, but still have no rapid and reliable test as they do for alcohol. Massachusetts has neither an established impairment level nor an efficient means to test for one. Policymakers should be aware of this knowledge gap and take steps to bridge it if we expect to identify and prevent THC impairment among drivers," Conley added.
Prosecutors say Birenbaum was operating a Subaru Legacy at speeds of almost 80 mph at approximately 1:00 on the morning of the crash when he struck the rear of an airport/hotel shuttle vehicle on Route 90 East, causing both vehicles to collide with highway barriers. Rodriguez and Arreola, who were passengers in the shuttle, suffered fatal injuries. The shuttle's driver and two other passengers suffered less serious injuries.
Blood samples were taken from both drivers pursuant to search warrants. Toxicology screens showed showed no intoxicating substances in the shuttle driver's blood, and showed THC, THC metabolite, and alcohol in Birenbaum's.
Birenbaum will be back in court on February 22.
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