Karma always has a way of coming back around, especially if you got off easy with a catastrophic vehicle crash. Nearly three months after a Tesla ran off a road and slammed into a tree, the driver is facing criminal charges. John Charles Forbes Petch, 32, of Newtown has been charged with driving under the influence and other counts. The charges follow a police investigation into the April 11 crash on Taunton Hill Road, the one that left him injured. He’s now due in court on July 7.
The crash actually took place on the night of April 11, near the intersection with Birch Hill Road. Police say Petch was driving his Tesla south on Taunton Hill Road at a high rate of speed. He reached a curve and couldn’t hold the lane. The car crossed the road, left the pavement, and went through a violent series of impacts before stopping against a tree.
Petch was the only person in the car, and he was wearing a seatbelt. The crash left him hurt, and firefighters had to extricate him from the wreck. He was taken to Danbury Hospital with what police called non-specific injuries. He survived, and no one else was involved.
At the time, police only said that they were investigating the crash. Months later, they’ve now decided that DUI charges apply. That, plus their opinion that the crash itself was dramatic enough to walk through step by step. So what does a DUI charge like this look like?
How the Crash Unfolded
Police laid out the sequence in their reports. The Tesla, a 2021 Model 3, was heading south on Taunton Hill Road around 6:55 p.m. As it came to a right-hand curve near Birch Hill Road, it kept going straight. The driver-side tires struck the curb and that meant the car left the road. It came down on he front yard of a home on Taunton Hill Road.
The underside then hit the rocks and the Tesla launched into the air. It came down against a utility pole’s support wire, then struck a tree and stopped. Airbags deployed and the car began to smoke. First responders were told it might be on fire with the driver trapped, though there turned out to be no active fire when they arrived.
The DUI Charge and What’s Next
This all culminates in DUI charges. It’s more than just a ticket as well – it’s a criminal matter. Police say Petch also faces other, related counts to deal with as well. But why did the police wait? Filing these charges months after the crash is actually pretty normal. Investigations like this often wait on evidence such as blood tests, which take time to process and review.
None of it has been proven yet, of course. A charge is an accusation, and Petch is presumed innocent unless a court decides otherwise, as you probably already know (and have heard us repeat). However things turn out, the crash could have ended far worse. It’s lucky no one got killed with how intense things were.