A State College man is accused of driving under the influence when he caused a four-vehicle crash that seriously injured a 12-year-old on Saturday afternoon near Bellefonte.
Esmanbek J. Umarov, 25 was arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault, misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and DUI and summary offenses of careless and reckless driving.
The crash happened at about 3 p.m. on the 800 block of Pleasantview Boulevard/Route 144 in Spring Township.
Umarov was driving a Mercedes SUV and attempted to pass in a no passing zone when he crossed into the opposing lane and crashed head on into another vehicle driven by an adult female with a 12-year-old child in the passenger seat, according to a release from Spring Township police.
The child was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville to be treated for serious injuries. The woman was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center with moderate injuries.
Two other vehicles sustained damage in chain reaction crashes resulting from the collision.
A preliminary investigation found Umarov was impaired at the time of the crash and “both alcohol and controlled substances are believed to be a factor in the incident,” police wrote.
A criminal complaint with further details was not immediately available.
Umarov was arraigned on Saturday night by District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker, who denied bail, citing “extremely serious charges [and] serious public safety risk.”
He is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19.
