An October motorcycle accident was likely caused by an impaired driver, police said.
Upper Dublin Township Police Department reported to the area of Dreshertown Road and Virginia Drive on Thursday, Oct. 3 around 7:35 p.m. for the report of an accident involving a motorcycle. Multiple witnesses called in the accident to county dispatch, police said, but responding officers said they could not locate the operator of the motorcycle, said the criminal complaint.
The incident was covered as breaking news on WissNow.com the same evening. Read the account here: https://wissnow.com/news/2024/oct/03/a-vehicle-motorcycle-accident-have-northbound-traffic-on-dreshertown-road-closed-near-virginia-drive-in-upper-dublin-township/.
A black motorcycle, with Pennsylvania registration, was located in the roadway by responding police, downed near Limekiln Pike next to the entrance of Sunoco, 1400 Dreshertown Road in the township, said police. According to the criminal complaint, a man wearing a helmet was face-down in the roadway near the curb. He was immediately tended to by first responders, including Fort Washington Fire Company members, police reported.
By James Short A blue Subaru Outback, also with Pennsylvania tags, was also viewed at the scene with heavy front-end damages in the parking lot of the same gas station, police said. Police interviewed the driver and passenger of the Subaru who said that, as the driver approached the driveway of the Sunoco, she slowed to make a left turn. According to the written complaint, the Subaru’s driver was traveling at around 15 miles per hour, signaled to turn, checked traffic, and reported that she “did not see any headlights or vehicles coming the other way.” The driver told police that is when the motorcycle “suddenly” appeared, when she tried to stop, but it struck her.
Both the driver and passenger of the car said that the “motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed before it struck them.” Another witness police interviewed said that he was sitting at the light on Limekiln Pike when he saw the black motorcycle make a left turn from Virginia Drive onto Limekiln, and that the motorcycle driver then “opened it up,” which policed clarified to the witness meaning “going fast.”
By James Short Jason S. Berish, 51, of the 1600 block of Limekiln Pike, in Dresher, was identified as the motorcycle driver. He was taken by Ambler Ambulance for medical treatment at Abington Jefferson Hospital, police said.
Police said that, at the scene, Berish was “conscious and semi-alert,” but did not know the day or month, and said that his leg hurt. Police observed scrapes on his helmet, though Berish told them he did not remember hitting his head. According to the complaint, police attempted to speak to Berish in the ambulance, but he said he did not remember anything. He then complained of pain in his hip, and was provided pain medication by emergency services, police said. Police did note in the criminal complaint that they smelled alcohol on Berish’ breath at this time and asked if he’d been drinking. Berish said he had “an unknown amount of beer at his friend’s house before traveling home,” police said.
As pain medications were administered, and Berish was in a trauma bay getting imaging done, police could not request permission for a blood draw, but later were granted a search warrant for his samples and medical records. On Oct. 25, results came back showing that there was ethanol, alcohol, THC, and fentanyl in his blood. His blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.04 and Berish tested positive for both active and inactive THC.
Berish faces the charges of Driving While Under the Influence (DUI) with a controlled substance, a combination of alcohol and drugs, DUI metabolite, DUI impaired driving, careless driving, and an driving unregistered vehicle.
Berish is due for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Douglas H. Lavenberg.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
