FREEBURG — Nearly two weeks after a crash took the life of a 21-year-old Freeburg woman, no charges have been filed against the driver who rear-ended her and sent her vehicle spinning into the opposite lane, where she collided with an oncoming vehicle.
Brittany E. Eshenaur died at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 in Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, almost 24 hours after the crash on Route 35 outside of Freeburg, in which a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina, driven by Jeffrey Leitzel, of Richfield, struck Eshenaur’s 1999 Ford Contour from behind, according to state police at Selinsgrove.
The impact forced Eshenaur’s car into the northbound lane, where it was struck by a 2004 Jeep Liberty driven by Gary Carstettler, of Freeburg, troopers said.
Eshenaur was headed west toward Freeburg on Route 35 and was waiting to turn left onto East Front Street, a road that veers diagonally off Route 35, according to reports.
State trooper Matt Burrows said fatal accident reports and reconstructions are checked by supervisors, and rechecked, before any charges are filed. “Normally, something like that takes several weeks,” he said.
While the public’s perception is that the driver who hits someone from behind is at fault in any crash, Burrows said that is not the case, arbitrarily, across the board.
“I’m not suggesting he’s not at fault,” he said. “But before the final pen to paper is finished, it gets checked and rechecked for accuracy.”
As to what charges Leitzel might face if he is found by police to be at fault, Burrows said it would depend on a determination of gross negligence. Charges could be anything from a traffic citation to vehicular homicide, depending on this determination, he said. Charges are escalated if alcohol is involved or speeding or other reckless driving has occurred.
Burrows said he is not aware of any reports that suggest Leitzel had been drinking before the accident.
Trooper Rodney Shoeman, investigating officer at the Selinsgrove barracks, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Snyder County District Attorney Michael Sholley did not return a call for comment on Wednesday. Last week, he said accident reconstruction still was being conducted and that he had not received answers to all of his questions about the crash.
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