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Mark Anthony Rideout Jr., 36, of Philadelphia, was arrested on multiple counts of vehicular homicide and related charges on Wednesday, Nov. 13, according to court documents.
The crash happened when Rideout lost control of his tractor-trailer while driving on Route 33 in Monroe County near its border with Northampton County on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, previous reporting by Daily Voice states.
Samantha Crich and her daughter, Elizabeth, were coming home from a doctor's visit when they were struck by Rideout's out-of-control tractor trailer around 11 a.m., Daily Voice reported at the time. Bryan Franco, of Hellertown, was in another vehicle, and was also killed.
Elizabeth was pronounced dead at the scene, while Samantha was flown to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest, where she died later that night, the Daily Voice report states. Franco was later pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono in East Stroudsburg.
Rideout was driving southbound at the time and had traveled off the roadway where he hit an embankment, according to a Lehigh Valley Live report. He then struck a guardrail before hitting a total of four vehicles.
He is facing charges for:
- Vehicular Homicide (three counts).
- Vehicular Homicide while DUI (three counts).
- Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Controlled Substances (three counts).
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person (five counts).
- Reckless Driving.
- Careless Driving - Unintentional Death (three counts).
- Involuntary Manslaughter (three counts).
Rideout is currently being held in Monroe County Prison. Bail was denied because he is considered either a flight risk or a risk to public safety, court documents state. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20.
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