Crime & Safety

Driver in Fatal Thanksgiving Eve Crash Testifies

The driver accused of causing a car crash that killed a 9-year-old girl in November testified in Bucks County Court Tuesday.

The driver accused of causing a car crash that killed a 9-year-old girl in November testified in Bucks County Court Tuesday. The trial for Drew Bodden, 38, got underway Monday.

Bodden, of Plumstead, is facing 11 charges in connection with the Nov. 21 fatal accident, including third-degree murder.  

He testified that he did not see the Honda CRV driven by Suzanne Berry until "milliseconds" before impact, www.phillyburbs.com reported. He also said he added $5,000 worth of after market parts to his Ford Mustang Cobra to make it go faster.

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The publication reported Bodden delivered his testimony in a "flat, steady voice." Click here to read the full report on www.phillyburbs.com.

Prosecutors say Bodden was driving more than 140 miles an hour north up the Rt. 611 Bypass the night before Thanksgiving when he slammed into the back of Berry's Honda CRV.

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Berry was driving her granddaughter, Holly Berry Huynh, home from a gynmastics class in the left lane at 60 to 70 miles an hour when Bodden slammed into her, prosecutors said.

The impact forced the Honda across the right lane, off the road and into the grassy area next to the Broad Street exit ramp, according to prosecutors. 

The Honda was so damaged that rescuers had to cut both Holly and her grandmother from the wreckage, prosecutors said. Berry sustained a traumatic brain injury and is now paralyzed.

Rescuers who raced to the scene found Holly unconscious and unresponsive in the back seat of the crushed Honda. A Bucks County Coroner's deputy pronounced her dead at the scene.


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