MONTOUR COUNTY, Pa. — State troopers arrested a rideshare driver from Lycoming County for allegedly causing a deadly wreck on Interstate 80 while under the influence of marijuana early on New Year's Day.
Reached by phone Tuesday, the driver, Anthony J. Machi, denied charges he was high while driving a passenger east through Liberty Township in Montour County at 3:38 a.m.
"I am not a criminal," Machi, 45, told Newswatch 16.
Machi, of Hughestown, is charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI and other related offenses for allegedly causing the death Jan. 1 of Yainlyles J. Gomez, 23, of Williamsport. Machi was Gomez's rideshare driver. State police brought charges against him Friday.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Trooper Timothy Hummel, a blood sample Machi voluntarily gave that morning showed evidence of delta-9 THC from the cannabis plant.
Machi told troopers he smoked marijuana daily, according to an affidavit.
In a phone call Tuesday, Machi said he did not smoke for nearly a full day before the crash. He also said he had a medical marijuana card.
According to a crash report, Machi's Toyota Highlander lost control for "unknown reasons" and veered off the north side of the interstate. The vehicle hit an embankment, overturned and the struck a tree before finally coming to a rest in the median. Machi suffered minor injuries. Gomez died at the scene.
Machi told state troopers that some kind of animal darted across the road just before the crash. In a phone interview Tuesday, he claimed he lost control because of slick conditions.
That morning's road conditions were not noted in the publicly available accident report.
National Weather Service reports from that region show temperatures had been above freezing and precipitation amounted to just a trace.
Machi is free on $50,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled Aug. 6.
