Shane Brolly Charged In Head-On Collision That Left 4 Neshaminy Students Seriously Injured
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia man has been charged in a head-on crash in Northampton Township that left several people seriously injured, including four teenage girls, police say. The Northampton Township Police Department announced that it has charged Shane Brolly.
He was arraigned in his hospital bed on Sunday on five counts of aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle -- all felonies -- and eight misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Based on witness statements, investigators determined Brolly was driving north on the 300 block of Bridgetown Pike just after 10 p.m. Saturday when he attempted to pass a Nissan Murano by crossing the double yellow lines into the southbound lane. The area is a no-passing zone.
While in the southbound lanes, Brolly collided with a Mazda CX5, pushing it 50 feet back.
"He was completely wreckless the way he was driving that night," said Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub.
The crash sent Brolly's truck back into the northbound lanes where it was struck by the Nissan Murano. Brolly and his passenger were both taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Four Neshaminy High School students --including 17-year-old Angelique Corsino -- who were in the Mazda CX5 suffered serious injuries.
"My thought was everyone was dead," her father Victor Corsino said. "I saw the white vehicle where the girls were was on its side. "The front end of it was completely smashed in, you couldn't even see where the engine used to be."
"I thought everyone was dead." That's what the father of one of the "Neshaminy 4" says about the horrific car accident his daughter survived Saturday night in #BucksCounty. Meet the hero couple who pulled them to safety plus what we've learned about the driver. pic.twitter.com/xXLIpyeoj4
— Alicia Roberts (@ARobertsCBS) March 30, 2021
Angelique sustaining a concussion and bleeding around her spleen, the others also with critical injuries.
"I couldn't believe anyone could survive it," her father said.
Emily and Mike Lohin heard the accident happen from inside their home
"The second we opened the front door we could hear them screaming," Emily said.
Mike jumped in to free the girls as the car was on fire.
"I tore the sunroof off and reached in. It was not a scene you want to see every day. I just pulled them out one at a time," Mike said.
"We have two daughters. I opened that sunroof and I feel like I adopted four more daughters. I would have done anything to try to help them and that's what we tried to do," Mike said.
Tonight, they're asking for the public's help donating to a GoFundMe page they set up for the "Neshaminy 4."
"These girls have a long road, they've had so many surgeries, they need so many surgeries," Emily said.
"The real heroes are the four girls. They pulled through and they're pulling through right now and that's all we can hope for," Mike said.
The Nissan Murano was occupied by three people who were treated at the scene and released.
Police say Brolly is a non-U.S. citizen and was positively identified by his United Kingdom driver's license.
"He was driving without a valid license and he was here on an expired work visa," Weintraub said.
Open and unopened alcoholic beverages were found in Brolly's truck and an odor of alcohol was detected on him. Blood test results are still pending.
CBS3's Alicia Roberts contributed to this report.