The defendant injured a juvenile in the crash.
A Norristown man faces felony charges of aggravated assault by vehicle and endangering the welfare of children after police said he flipped his pickup in a one-vehicle accident on Route 422 East.
Oscar Ray Gordon, 61, of the 800 block of Arch Street, was also charged by Pennsylvania State Police at Skippack with misdemeanor offenses of reckless endangerment of another person and suspected DUI – Unsafe Driving, and summary charges of careless driving, reckless driving, and disregarding a single traffic lane, per court records.
On Friday at 4:10 p.m., police were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Route 422 East at mile marker 185 in Upper Providence Township. Upon arrival, police were advised by EMS personnel that a juvenile was taken to Paoli Hospital for injuries suffered in the crash, according to the complaint.
At the scene, police found a green 1998 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck on its roof, facing eastbound, with severe damage and the rear of the truck separated from the cab, police said.
Police made contact with Gordon, the alleged driver of the truck. Police detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was disheveled with no shoes on, police said.
Gordon, police said, was swaying from side to side and had difficulty walking. When asked how he crashed, Gordon told police he did not know, as one minute he was on the road and then the car crashed, according to the affidavit.
Police said they asked Gordon how much he drank, and he said he had two beers. Gordon consented to field sobriety tests, and failed, police said. When asked again how much he drank, Gordon allegedly said four beers.
During transport to police headquarters, Gordon said, “I should’ve just stayed home,” police said. At the station, Gordon consented to a blood draw to determine BAC levels.
Gordon is free on $1,000 unsecured bail, per court records, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
