A woman faces multiple charges after investigators determined she was driving while under the influence when she struck and killed two people on I-95 in Philadelphia back in March.
Dimple Patel is charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, DUI, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, careless driving, driving at safe speed and prohibited text-based communications in connection to the deaths of Aktilek Baktybekov and Tolobek Esenbekov, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Monday.
Investigators said Baktybekov’s red Toyota Prius was disabled on the left shoulder and partially in the left lane on I-95 northbound at mile marker 26.8 in Philadelphia back on March 3, 2024, around 3:20 a.m. Esenbekov had parked his gray Hyundai Elantra behind the Prius on the left shoulder, presumably to help Baktybekov, police said.
Baktybekov was standing on the road near the Elantra while Esenbekov was exiting the Elantra. At the same time, Patel was driving her 2022 yellow Ford Mustang Mach-E with the vehicle’s BlueCruise hands-free driving feature and Adaptive Cruise Control systems activated, according to investigators.
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Investigators believe Patel was using both the hands-free driving feature and cruise control at the time of the crash.
Police said Patel was driving 71 to 72 mph when she struck the back of the Hyundai Elantra. The crash sparked a four-vehicle collision and both Baktybekov and Esenbekov were struck in the process, investigators said. Both Baktybekov and Esenbekov later died from their injuries.
Patel turned herself in at the Pennsylvania State Police Philadelphia station on 2201 Belmont Avenue on Tuesday morning, police said. NBC10 reached out to Patel's attorney who sent a statement Tuesday night.
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"I haven’t seen any evidence yet and we are still investigating the allegations, so I really can’t comment except to say that Ms. Patel turned herself in this morning as requested and is presumed innocent," the attorney wrote. "The deaths are of course a tragedy. It has been widely reported that the State Police indicated that the vehicle was in a self driving mode of some kind, so we are certainly looking at that. We look forward to resolving this matter in court."
In a statement Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police said that drivers using advanced technologies should be prepared to resume control at all times.
“No partially automated vehicle technology should ever be left alone to perform the driving tasks that are required to safely navigate the roads of the commonwealth,” the agency said.
Ford’s Blue Cruise system allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel while it handles steering, braking and acceleration on highways. The company says the system isn’t fully autonomous and it monitors drivers to make sure they pay attention to the road.
The crash was at least the second this year involving a Mach-E striking a stationary vehicle after dark that the NTSB has investigated. In a February crash along Interstate 10 in San Antonio, Texas, investigators believe a Mach-E struck a Honda CR-V that was stopped in the middle lane with no lights on.
The driver of the CR-V was killed.
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