Bucks Co. Woman Gets Prison For Thanksgiving DUI Crash

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA — A Northampton Township woman will spend up to seven years in prison after she caused a Thanksgiving 2019 crash that severely injured a motorcyclist while her blood alcohol was four times the legal limit.

Robin Duffy, 41, was sentenced Friday to 2 1/2 to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and more, including four traffic citations.

The crash happened at about 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2019 on East Bristol Road in Northampton. When police arrived, they found a motorcycle in the westbound lane and Joseph Caruso, now 62, lying on the side of the road next to a telephone pole.

A witness reported seeing a tan Ford Fusion, driven by Duffy, going eastbound then swerve into the westbound lanes and crash head-on into Caruso.

Caruso was thrown from his motorcycle and hit the telephone pole, causing a fractured pelvis that required at least four surgeries to stabilize. He also suffered internal bleeding, a blood clot, a concussion, severe swelling and bruising.

Caruso was required to use a wheelchair for about a month and has only recently been able to return to work.

When police met with Duffy at the scene, she had slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on her. Police found a bottle of Jacquin's vodka in her car, along with two partially consumed bottles of the vodka and several bottles of medication prescribed to Duffy.

One of them was Oxazepam, a sedative with a label saying that taking it with alcohol, or by itself, may lessen the ability to drive or perform hazardous tasks. Blood-alcohol tests taken within two hours of the crash showed Duffy with a concentration of .268 — more than four times the legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania.

She also tested positive for Oxazepam. The incident was Duffy's third DUI arrest.

In court Friday, Caruso said he still suffers from lingering medical and emotional issues.

"My life has been drastically changed by the reckless decision by Robin Duffy to get behind the wheel of her car, intoxicated, and attempt to drive," he said. "The pain and suffering endured by myself, my wife and daughter are something I wouldn't want anybody to have to experience."

Caruso's daughter also testified Friday, saying she suffered from post-traumatic stress as a result of the crash.

"I don't think the defendant can ever truly know how much hurt and agony she caused to my dad and my family, but maybe she will come to an understanding of how she negatively affected and changed our lives," she said.

Common Pleas Judge Raymond F. McHugh's sentence was the maximum allowed under law and is more than twice the standard sentencing range, according to prosecutors.

The crash was investigated by the Northampton Township Police Department and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Megan A. Hunsicker.