Judge suspends Hempfield man's driving privileges in sentence for DUI crash

A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to seven years on probation for causing a violent head-on collision that left another motorist severely injured more than two years ago.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a key component in the sentence he imposed Thursday against Joseph J. Forbes is a requirement that he not drive for the duration of his court-ordered supervision.

“The victim wrote he doesn’t want you to drive anymore and I am going to see if I can make that happen,” Krieger said.

Forbes, 67, pleaded guilty in June to charges of aggravated assault with a vehicle and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol. Police said Forbes was drunk on Sept. 14, 2019, and slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle at 10:30 p.m. on Mt. Pleasant Road in Hempfield near the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus.

According to court records, a witness claimed Forbes followed closely behind her as she drove at the road’s 45 mph speed limit, attempted to pass as they approached a bend in the road and collided with an oncoming vehicle. Both Forbes and the other driver were injured in the crash. The victim sustained numerous broken bones, a liver laceration and had a metal rod implanted in his leg as a result of the crash, police said.

Police said Forbes claimed he spent the day drinking while at a gun bash and had a blood alcohol level of 0.216%, more than twice the limit a motorist in Pennsylvania is considered to be intoxicated.

Forbes gave an impassioned apology in court on Thursday.

“I made the biggest mistake in my entire life and I can’t justify what I did,” Forbes said. “The fact I hurt myself is bad, the fact I hurt someone else is unbelievable. I can’t forgive myself.”

Krieger rejected a prosecution request to impose a jail sentence and ordered Forbes serve the probation term that also includes two years of house arrest.

Forbes was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.