DA: Hudson Valley Man Drove Drunk Into Trailer, Kills Friend

A Hudson Valley man is accused of driving drunk into a tractor-trailer which resulted in the death of his passenger.

On Monday in Orange County Court, 24-year-old Robert Higgins of Highland Mills was indicted for vehicular manslaughter and aggravated operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

The charges were filed in connection with the death of a young man who was a passenger in a car that Higgins was driving on December 22, 2017.

The indictment alleges that Higgins was driving drunk around 1:30 a.m. on December 22, 2017 on Route 32 in the Town of Woodbury.

Higgin’s car collided with a tractor-trailer, killing his passenger, officials say.

“Fatalities which occur as the result of driving while intoxicated are as tragic as they are preventable,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said in a press release. “Too many lives have been irreparably harmed by those who drive while intoxicated.”

An Orange County grand jury charged Higgins with three-counts of vehicular manslaughter, aggravated operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and two-counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

He was remanded to Orange County Jail on $5,000 bail. Higgins is scheduled to appear in court on May 10.

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