A New Jersey driver who once saw the most serious charges against him tossed is now headed to trial in Northampton County in connection with a Route 33 crash that killed three members of a local family in 2022. Prosecutors, who refiled the case after an earlier dismissal, are set to put toxicology numbers and a detailed accident reconstruction in front of a jury on Monday.
The defendant, 36-year-old Nelson Segura of Oak Ridge, N.J., faces multiple counts tied to the March 24, 2022 wreck on PA Route 33.
Route 33 Crash That Killed a Family
The deadly chain of events started shortly before 6:20 a.m. on March 24, 2022, when a box truck slammed into the rear of a Toyota RAV4 that was stopped in the northbound lanes of PA Route 33 in Bushkill Township. State police identified the victims as 16-year-old Tahlia Robinson, 39-year-old Alexis Robinson and 42-year-old Darrell Robinson, all of Blakeslee.
The impact shut down the highway north of the Belfast exit while troopers worked the scene and documented the debris field, as first reported by Daily Voice.
Charges Dismissed and Then Refiled
Prosecutors initially charged Segura with three counts of homicide by vehicle. A magistrate judge dismissed those counts at a preliminary hearing on Nov. 25, 2024, but Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta later refiled them, and a June 30, 2025 preliminary hearing sent the renewed counts on to trial.
Court records and prior reporting state that Segura's blood tested at 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of THC. He told investigators he had smoked marijuana at about 8 p.m. the night before the crash. Prosecutors say that combination of toxicology and timeline is enough to let a jury decide whether he was impaired.
Baratta said he "would not have pursued the charges unless he felt confident he could present sufficient facts to a jury," according to Lehigh Valley Live.
How Pennsylvania Treats THC Behind the Wheel
Pennsylvania law lets prosecutors introduce toxicology results for Schedule I substances once a minimum laboratory threshold is met. State guidance pegs that cutoff at 1 ng/ml for THC or its metabolites.
Other states set higher per se levels, commonly in the 2 to 5 ng/ml range, so those comparisons may become a key talking point when jurors are asked whether a relatively low blood reading equals legal impairment. As outlined by Zuckerman Law and summarized nationally by the National Conference of State Legislatures, those differences sit at the heart of many marijuana DUI battles.
Science, Experts and the Fight Over Impairment
For years, scientific research has found only weak links between specific blood THC concentrations and actual driving impairment. That uncertainty often turns expert witnesses into the unofficial stars of the courtroom.
In Segura's case, prosecutors are expected to call toxicologists and investigators who will argue that the 1.5 ng/ml result reflects impairment at the time of the crash. Defense experts are likely to counter that the number is simply too low, and too far removed from the time he said he smoked, to prove he was impaired when the box truck hit the RAV4.
A recent peer reviewed review of the literature has emphasized just how difficult it is to tie a single THC blood level to functional impairment, especially many hours after marijuana use.
What to Watch When the Trial Starts
The trial is scheduled to begin Monday, March 2, 2026, in Northampton County Court of Common Pleas, which handles criminal cases in Easton. Judge John M. Morganelli is listed among the court's trial judges.
Jurors can expect to hear from state troopers, accident reconstruction specialists and dueling toxicology experts who will walk them through timing, metabolism and the mechanics of the highway crash.
For basic information about the court itself, visit the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas website.
