Jul 3, 2018 2 min read

A Donora woman was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana last December when the car she was driving collided head-on with another vehicle, killing the other motorist, police allege in court documents.

Those findings led Carroll Township police to file homicide by motor vehicle and related charges against Veronica Rodriguez, who is wanted on a warrant signed Friday by District Judge Mark Wilson.

Police said Rodriguez, 59, of 417 Prospect Ave., was driving north on Route 837 near the Donora-Monessen Bridge when her vehicle crossed the center line about 1:25 a.m. Dec. 16 and crashed into a car driven south by Laura L. Erickson.

The car driven by Erickson, 55, of Monongahela was pushed into a grassy area off the road, where it caught fire. A passing motorist made an unsuccessful attempt to pull Erickson out of a broken window, police stated in the affidavit. The car was engulfed in fire when emergency workers arrived at the scene.

Rodriguez was extricated from her car and taken by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital.

Police said her blood-alcohol level was 0.072 percent following the crash, a number that is slightly below the 0.08 percent threshold in Pennsylvania at which drunken driving is presumed.

Rodriguez also faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of a controlled substance.