Oct 13, 2018 2 min read

A Washington man was arraigned Friday on charges including aggravated assault by motor vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol filed against him by state police after an all-terrain vehicle crash that injured him and his passenger.

Justin Early Beiswenger, 25, of 1481 Brush Run Road, is also charged with failure to drive at a safe speed, not having insurance and other traffic violations in the Aug. 18 crash in the 800 block of Lone Pine Road, West Bethlehem Township.

Police said the Polaris RZR that Beiswenger was operating crashed into a guardrail. His passenger, Austin Michael Strawn, was unresponsive after the crash. He had to be flown to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh. Neither he nor Beiswenger were wearing helmets, police said.

There were multiple empty beer cans around the ATV and one beer can in the back of the vehicle, according to police.

Beiswenger reportedly told police that he was going too fast around the bend when the ATV flipped and rolled over. He allegedly told police that he had a couple of beers earlier in the day. Beiswenger also was taken to Presbyterian hospital for treatment.

At the hospital, Beiswenger refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test, police said. A search warrant was obtained for his medical records. Police said they showed that Beiswenger’s blood-alcohol content was almost double the 0.08 percent limit at which intoxication is presumed.

Beiswenger was arraigned before District Judge Jay Weller and released. He is scheduled for an Oct. 24 preliminary hearing before District Judge Curtis Thompson.