State police say a Derry Township man was drunk during a November crash in Unity that seriously injured his female passenger.

Robert Scott Mayer, 55, didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time, troopers said. He was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated assault while driving under the influence, accidents involving injury while not licensed and related offenses.

He was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bond.

A trooper on his way to work Nov. 6 came upon a two-vehicle crash at 10:51 p.m. at the intersection of routes 30 and 981, according to court papers. Mayer was in the driver’s seat of one of the vehicles and the trooper said he noticed a strong odor of alcohol.

Investigators said Mayer ran a red light, causing the crash. Neither he nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt, according to court papers. It was unclear if the person in the second vehicle was hurt.

Mayer was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville for treatment of head injuries. Police said his blood-alcohol content was 0.147%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08%.

His passenger was flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. Police said she needed surgery for her injuries, which included a fractured spine, internal bleeding and a broken nose and ribs.

Mayer’s drivers license was suspended for a previous drunken-driving conviction, according to police. He was sentenced to 26 days to six months in jail and a year of probation in 2016 for a DUI in Jeannette. His probation later was revoked, according to online court records.

He was sentenced last month to 90 days to five years in jail on another 2016 drunken-driving offense in Penn Township, according to online court records. He has been held in the county jail since Nov. 7 on that case.

Mayer did not have an attorney listed in the new case. A Feb. 24 preliminary hearing is set.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)