A 28-year-old Honesdale man was sentenced to 70 to 140 months in state prison for causing a crash — which killed a woman — while driving under the influence of alcohol, Wayne County District Attorney A.G. Howell said Thursday.
Tyler Canfield was driving west on Route 6 in Palmyra Twp., just west of Hawleywood Hills, around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2024, when his vehicle crossed over the centerline, striking an oncoming vehicle head-on, police said.
The driver of the other vehicle — Elizabeth Struble, 61, of Blooming Grove — was pronounced dead at the scene, officers said.
Before the crash, a witness reported seeing Canfield’s vehicle cross the centerline multiple times, swerve toward the left, nearly hit the Hawleywood Hills sign and rock wall, and then swerve back into his lane, police said.
When officers arrived and were attending to the victims, Canfield crawled over the guardrail after having been instructed to remain at the scene for medical evaluation, according to a criminal complaint.
Officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Canfield’s breath, as well as unsteady balance, bloodshot eyes and slurred, slow speech, police said.
He agreed to wait, but then took off down the embankment, before being apprehended about a quarter-mile from the scene, officers said.
Canfield admitted to drinking the night before, and having a few beers on the day of the crash, police said. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.30, according to the criminal complaint, nearly four times the legal limit for a DUI conviction.