Driver Arraigned On OUI Charges For Deadly Crash Where Car Landed Upside In Water Off I-95
DEDHAM (CBS) -- A man accused of drunk driving and causing a deadly crash in Dedham over the weekend appeared before a judge on Monday. Massachusetts State Police say Arkeem Samuel, 28, was behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4 when it rolled over several times and landed in a flooded gully along Interstate 95.
Samuel and the passenger, 27-year-old Liam Fitzgerald needed to be extricated from the car by first responders. Fitzgerald did not survive.
On Monday, a judge ordered Samuel be held on $10,000 bail on the conditions that he not drive, wear a surveillance device, submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and have no contact with the victim's family if he posts bail.
According to prosecutors, Samuel told State Police after the crash that he and Fitzgerald were drinking at a Boston club then went to a house party in Brockton where he "drank too much tequila."
A defense attorney for Samuel said he is a graduate of the College of Liberal Arts, has a graduate degree from Simmons College, and is currently working for a mental health agency.
The crash happened on Interstate 95 near the University Avenue exit in Dedham around 4:20 a.m. Saturday. Samuel allegedly went off the road while trying to pass another car on the right, prosecutors said.
He was charged with felony motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence and operating negligently, operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and marked lanes violation.
A not guilty plea was entered on Samuel's behalf.
