Woman Charged in Death of 2 Motorcyclists
Posted by
Christina ColeJanuary 19, 2007 7:53 PMA woman who has pled not guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault in Perry County, had been on many different medications the day of the accident, according to court records.
Lorraine M. Mattox, 45, was indicted in October after an accident in July with a group of motorcycle riders, left two riders dead. Prosecutor Joseph Flautt said, if convicted, Mattox could end up with 13 years in prison. Trial is set for March 28th.
Per the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation, it states that at 11:55am on July, 8 Mattox was going west on U.S. 22 east of Somerset. Mattox looked in her rearview and saw some motorcycles approaching. "I tried to downshift to low, but next thing I heard was a tremendous boom," Mattox told the investigators. The 2005 Chevy Malibu she was driving had gone left of center, striking two of four eastbound motorcycles.
Garry Clark, 54, of Dexter City, and Dennis Clark, 51, died as a result of the accident.
Richard Shumaker, 53, of Nashport, and his wife, Lona, 48, were injured and transported to Grant Hospital in Columbus by a medical helicopter. The other biker, Richard Cady, 51, and his passenger, Jacqueline S. Cady, 47, of Hebron, were also injured. Court records show Dennis Clark had heart disease prior to the crash, but the injuries he suffered in the crash led to his heart failure and his death. The riders were on a Burn Unit Poker Run for Children's Hospital. Records show Mattox told Trooper F.J. Cook she had taken some medication that day; Promethazine, a medication used to relieve symptoms of allergic reactions; meprobamate, a medication used to treat anxiety disorders; and Dilantin, a medication used to control generalized gran mal and psychomotor or temporal lobe seizures. Records also show Mattox was convicted of DUI in 1983 and in 1994.