A Middlesex Township woman accused of driving under the influence of alcohol has been charged with homicide by vehicle after police say she crashed her car into a convenience store and killed her two passengers earlier this year, according to a criminal complaint.

Police say Diane Elizabeth Read, 37, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.166% — more than twice the legal limit — when she crashed into the CoGo’s on Route 8 in Middlesex Township on May 17.

The impact from the crash killed her two passengers, Kimberly Young and Patricia Collins, the complaint said.

Online court records show Read is also charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter, DUI and driving violations. The charges were filed Friday.

Read’s attorney Casey White said he and Read are aware of the charges, and she will be arraigned Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Sue Haggerty in Saxonburg. Middlesex police couldn’t immediately be reached for additional comment.

“Ms. Read’s immense sorrow likely pales in comparison to the grief that both the Collins and Young families suffer daily,” White said. “This is a type of tragedy that is difficult to put into words as two families are now forever changed by a heartbreaking accident.”

Police said Officer Harry Callithen went to the CoGo’s shortly after midnight on May 17 after receiving a report that a vehicle had crashed into the building.

When Callithen got the scene, he saw a car inside the building. He approached the car, and saw Read sitting in the driver’s seat. Read told Callithen the women were just going for ice and asked him to help her friend, according to the complaint.

Young had been riding in the front passenger seat and Collins was in the back seat, the complaint said.

Police checked on the two women and found them to be unresponsive. Young was pronounced dead at the scene and Collins was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, according to the complaint.

Paramedics who treated Read at the scene told police she admitted to consuming alcohol, and she was taken to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh. Officer Bryan Costanzo said he could smell an odor of alcohol coming from inside the car.

Costanzo was able to obtain Read’s information from the registration plate on the car, and went to her residence on Dwellington Drive. There he made contact with the women’s husbands.

The couples had been at Read’s residence for a social gathering, and they had been drinking alcohol, the complaint said.

A search warrant was obtained for Read’s medical records, which showed she had a blood-alcohol content of 0.166%. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to inspect Read’s car. An inspection of the car found there were no mechanical or safety equipment failures that contributed to the crash, the complaint said.

Police said they also spoke with a witness who reported seeing a car speeding toward Route 8 from Dwellington Drive. He said the car failed to stop at the intersection, which has a posted stop sign, and then “jumped” half of Route 8 before crashing into the store.

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