Sentencing date set in Indiana County head-on crash that killed Jeannette man

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2 in connection with a wrong way crash on Route 119 in Indiana County that killed a Jeannette man.

Elias Jimenez, 29, of Indiana, pleaded guilty earlier in August to homicide by vehicle and accidents involving death in the Jan. 26 crash near Homer City. District Attorney Robert Manzi Jr. said Thursday that Jimenez faces a mandatory state prison sentence.

Alex A. Booher, 30, was a backseat passenger in the car traveling southbound on Route 119 and was killed when it collided head-on at about 11:30 p.m. in Luzerne Township with a northbound car in the same lane driven by Jimenez.

Booher, was one of two passengers in a car driven by Christopher A. Sipes of Greensburg.

Sipes was unable to avoid the head-on collision with Jimenez’ car in Sipes’ lane, police said. Sipes and his other passenger, Brian R. Myers of Greensburg, were taken to Indiana Regional Medical Center for treatment of suspected minor injuries, police said.

Jimenez fled from the scene on foot but was tracked by state troopers along a trail and to a hotel where he was found hiding under a bed.

‘This is a senseless crime where a random, innocent victim loses their life due to the actions of the defendant,” Manzi said in a statement.

Jimenez pulled out of a gas station parking lot into the wrong lane of travel. He was not charged with any offenses related to impaired driving.

It’s common for wrong way crashes to happen during night time hours and there can be a number of circumstances that play a role in that type of crash, according to state police. Those can include impaired driving as well as drivers who are not familiar with the area or who may be affected by physical or mental conditions.

In March 2021, AAA and the National Transportation Safety Board warned motorists of an increasing rate of wrong way crashes resulting in fatalities. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that there were 2,008 deaths from wrong way crashes on divided highways nationwide between 2015 and 2018.

The approximate annual average of 500 deaths in that time frame is a 34% increase of the 375 deaths per year between 2010 and 2014, the foundation reported. Those types of crashes are typically head-on and the odds of becoming a wrong way driver increase with alcohol impairment, older age and driving without a passenger.