A United Parcel Service truck pinned a parked sedan into the side of the HalenHardy building at 305 Main St. in Bellwood on Monday afternoon, leaving the structure with minor damage and the delivery driver facing suspicion of driving under the influence. Police drove the driver away for a blood draw as the investigation got underway.
Bellwood Police Chief Joe Schlecht is leading the investigation into the crash, according to the Altoona Mirror. The UPS truck struck the parked sedan with enough force to push it into the HalenHardy building, the outlet reported, and the building sustained minor damage as a result.
Schlecht said the delivery driver was transported by police for a blood draw under suspicion of a DUI, per the same report. No further details on the driver's identity, the sedan's owner, the exact time of the crash, or any injuries have been released.
Investigation Remains Open
The incident is still under investigation, and no citations, charges, or blood-test results have been made public at this time. Bellwood police have not released additional information beyond what Schlecht confirmed to the Mirror following Monday's crash.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About DUI Suspicion
Under Pennsylvania's implied consent law, codified in Section 1547 of Title 75, drivers are deemed to have consented to chemical testing when an officer has reasonable grounds to believe they drove, operated, or controlled a vehicle in violation of Sections 1543(b)(1.1), 3802, or 3808(a)(2), and refusal carries consequences. Testing may also be conducted under a valid warrant or another constitutionally permissible basis. The state's underlying DUI offense is defined under Section 3802 of Title 75, which outlines the thresholds and circumstances under which a driver can be found to have violated the law. Those statutes could apply to any future charges, though none have been filed as of this report.
