Swampscott Man Allegedly Had THC in System in Fatal Logan Accident

SWAMPSCOTT, MA – Steven Birenbaum, the Swampscott man accused of killing two people when he struck an airport shuttle van in his sedan on Aug. 31, was arraigned today in Suffolk Superior Court. He is charged with two counts of manslaughter, and two counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence.

Birenbaum, 27, was found to have THC in his blood and urine and nearly twice the legal blood alcohol content limit, said Suffolk Country District Attorney Daniel F. Conley in a news release.

Joseph A. Rodriguez, 59, and Sandra L. Arreola, 56, of El Paso, Texas, were both killed in the Interstate 90 accident.

"Cases like this one speak to the urgency with which lawmakers should address marijuana-impaired driving," Conley said in the news release. "It’s a proven fact that driving under the influence of marijuana is every bit as dangerous as it is for alcohol, but unlike alcohol, we don’t yet have a way to quantify a driver’s impairment from marijuana."

Birenbaum will be held on $5,000 cash bail.

According to prosecutors, Birenbaum was driving a Subaru Legacy nearly 80 miles per hour around 1 a.m. on Aug. 31 when he hit the back of the shuttle on I-90 East, driving both vehicles into highway barriers. The shuttle's driver and two other passengers suffered injuries but survived.

Birenbaum is due back in court in February.

Image via Alison Bauter/Patch Staff