Driver Says He Was Getting Cigarette Before Rt. 80 Crash That Killed Family Of 3

The driver in Route 80 wreck that killed a family of three last year said he was reaching for a cigarette and took his eyes off the road before the fatal crash, a spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office told Patch on Tuesday.

He also said he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, agent Paul Merkler told Patch. The new details were in an arrest affidavit first published by the Morris County Daily Record.

Bhavuk Uppal pleaded not guilty last week to the crash after being offered a plea deal that would have put him behind bars for 36 years with a chance at parole in exchange to pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter. He remains held in Morris County Jail on $750,000 bail.

The chain reaction resulted in the Kia, which had a man, pregnant woman, and baby, to become fully engulfed in flames, Flynn said, and all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene at 4 a.m.

The three people in the Kia were identified as Edward Russell Hitt, 24; Briana Mae Anderson, 21; and Charlotte Reagan Hitt, 18 months old.

READ MORE:

• Driver In Triple-Fatal Rt. 80 Crash Pleads Not Guilty
• 13-Count Indictment For Driver In Rt. 80 Triple-Fatal Crash
• 19 Tickets, 12 Suspensions In 2 Years For Alleged Drunk Driver In Triple-Fatal Crash
• Woman Killed in Rt. 80 Crash Was Pregnant; Alleged Drunk Driver Arrested 6 Times