Kids injured when woman crashed van during overdose, police say

GREENE TOWNSHIP - A Chambersburg woman faces several charges after she overdosed while driving and crashed, resulting in the injury of two small children, police said. 

Crystal Jane Hepfer-McCleary was charged with several counts each of child endangerment and reckless endangerment, one count of driving under the influence, and summary offenses of careless driving, not using safety restraints and booster seats, and disregarding traffic lanes, according to online court documents.

Read:Police log: Man charged with DUI after false hit-and-run report

Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg, arrived at around 9:50 a.m. June 19 to the crash in the 2500 block of Philadelphia Avenue, where a Chrysler Town and Country minivan with heavy front-end damage set in the grass on the west side of the road, according to court documents.

Hepfer-McCleary was transported to Chambersburg Hospital before police arrived, and EMS informed troopers that she had been found unconscious, laying over the center console of the driver's seat, according to court documents.

EMS told police she went into cardiac arrest and was revived with Narcan, an overdose-reversal drug, also known as nalaxone, according to court documents. Troopers learned that 11 tramadol pills, a narcotic-like pain reliever, had been found in Hepfer-McCleary's purse.

A 3-year-old and 5-year-old were on scene, with the 3-year-old suffering injury resulting in blood in her mouth, according to court documents. The 5-year-old was in a neck brace and was flown to Hershey Medical Center for treatment.

Police noted in court documents that there were two "spider-web" patterned cracks on the interior windshield on the passenger side.

A witness from a car that had to swerve to avoid the minivan said he had seen the van go into the center left turn lane, without any turn signals activated, according to court documents. The van then continued into the lane of oncoming traffic, going an estimated 1-2 feet into the lane of oncoming traffic.

The driver swerved to get out of the way, and saw the minivan drift off the road and into a ditch.

The man said his wife and daughter were in his car at the time of the crash. Because their car had to swerve out of the way, Hepfer-McCleary's charges reflect reckless endangerment toward them.

Another witness interviewed said she stopped to help after the crash, according to court documents. 

She said she was one of the first to approach the vehicle, and saw Hepfer-McCleary sitting in the driver's seat, slumped over the center console, according to court documents. The witness also said two children were "against the dashboard" in the front passenger side, and no one in the vehicle was using a seat belt.

Hepfer-McCleary ended up undergoing surgery after the incident, according to court documents, and a warrant was obtained to test a blood sample. The sample was positive for clonazapam, which is a sedative that can treat seizures, panic disorders and anxiety, according to court documents. Tramadol was also present.

Hepfer-McCleary was issued a summons on the charges, which she accepted Saturday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16.

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762