Commonwealth v. Geary

53 Pa. D. & C.4th 367, 2001 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 253
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Fayette County
DecidedSeptember 19, 2001
Docketno. 1756 of 2000
StatusPublished

This text of 53 Pa. D. & C.4th 367 (Commonwealth v. Geary) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Fayette County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Geary, 53 Pa. D. & C.4th 367, 2001 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 253 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2001).

Opinion

WARMAN, J.,

This case is presently before the court on an omnibus pretrial motion filed by the defendant in the form of a motion to suppress defendant’s medical records seized from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

[369]*369FACTS

At the time of the omnibus hearing it was agreed that the matter would be submitted to the court based upon the testimony introduced at the preliminary hearing. The court was provided with a transcript of the proceedings from the preliminary hearing and the facts set forth herein are based solely upon the preliminary hearing transcript in accordance with the agreement of the parties.

On August 20, 2000, at or about 4:30 p.m. the defendant was operating a 1991 Hyundai automobile on Quail Hill Road, a two-lane roadway, located in Bullskin Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The weather was clear and sunny and no obstructions were located in the roadway. Winfield Charles Hissem, the only passenger, occupied the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Upon rounding a right-hand turn in the roadway, the defendant operated his vehicle onto the south berm causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The passenger side of the vehicle struck a large tree causing the vehicle to rotate clockwise ejecting the defendant from the vehicle onto the roadway. The passenger, Winfield Charles Hissem, sustained injuries which resulted in his death at the scene.

John Conyette, a neighbor, heard the crash, exited his home and observed the defendant sitting in the middle of the roadway approximately 30 feet from the vehicle. Mr. Conyette observed that the defendant appeared dazed and had to be helped off of the roadway. When Walter Rechenberg, a paramedic, arrived at the accident scene, the defendant was walking around. Rechenberg examined the defendant and applied a cervical collar to im[370]*370mobilize his head and neck. The defendant was placed on a spine board immobilizing him from head to foot. Defendant was administered oxygen, I.V.s and prepared for transport by helicopter to the UPMC. The defendant admitted to being the operator of the vehicle and the paramedic observed an odor of alcohol on his breath. He noted that the defendant was conscious, concerned about the accident and very upset.

The prosecuting officer, Pennsylvania State Trooper James Aughinbaugh, arrived at the scene while the defendant was being treated in the ambulance. Trooper Aughinbaugh stepped into the ambulance and questioned the defendant. The defendant said he knew he should not have been driving and asked about the status of his friend. An examination of the interior of the vehicle revealed numerous cans of Budweiser beer, some empty and some unopened and still cold. Knowing that the defendant was to be transported to UPMC, Trooper Aughinbaugh made arrangements for Trooper Curt Reuter of the Finley Barracks to appear at UPMC. Neither officer advised the defendant regarding the implied consent law, 75 Pa.C.S. §1547, and neither requested that the defendant submit to a blood test to determine his blood alcohol content. Criminal charges including homicide by vehicle were filed by Trooper Aughinbaugh on August 20, 2000, prior to the defendant’s release from UPMC and the defendant was taken into custody by Trooper Reuter.

While at UMPC, the only blood sample drawn from defendant was taken by hospital personnel for treatment purposes. No blood was drawn by the hospital pursuant to section 3755 of the Motor Vehicle Code.

[371]*371Trooper Aughinbaugh called the Fayette County District Attorney’s Office for assistance in an effort to obtain the UPMC laboratory blood results. In response thereto, an employee of the district attorney’s office typed up a subpoena directed to UPMC. No hearing date had been set nor did the subpoena require that the test results be produced at a hearing. The subpoena merely required that the test results be released to Trooper Aughinbaugh. No search warrant or court order was obtained to require the release of the medical records and no probable cause to justify the production of records was established before an independent judicial officer.

As a result of the issuance of the subpoena by the district attorney’s office, the laboratory results from UPMC were released to the Pennsylvania State Police. The UPMC laboratory results were then transmitted to Dr. Winnick of PC Lab in Pittsburgh for the purpose of converting the serum alcohol results to whole blood alcohol. The conversion to whole blood by Dr. Winnick indicated that the defendant had a blood alcohol content of .120 percent.

Upon receipt of the PC lab report, Trooper Aughinbaugh withdrew the original charges and on August 23, 2000, refiled the criminal complaint adding additional charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol, 75 Pa.C.S. §3.731 (a)(4)(i) and homicide by vehicle while driving under influence, 75 Pa.C.S. §3735(a).

DISCUSSION

The defendant contends in his omnibus pretrial motion that under Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania [372]*372Constitution, the police officer may not obtain the results of a blood alcohol test pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. §3755(a) without a search warrant and without having requested that the blood alcohol test be performed.

It is undisputed that defendant’s BAC test was conducted for independent medical purposes. Neither Trooper Aughinbaugh nor Trooper Reuter requested that the defendant consent to have blood drawn for the purpose of a blood alcohol test and neither officer requested that UPMC hospital personnel draw a sample of the defendant’s blood for testing. Similarly, no blood was drawn by UPMC emergency room personnel pursuant to 75 Pa.C.S. §3755(a) as a result of any perceived duty arising out of the abstract probable cause requirement of said statute.

Section 3755(a) reads as follows:

“Section 3755. Reports by emergency room personnel.
“(a) General rule. — If, as a result of a motor vehicle accident, the person who drove, operated or was in actual physical control of the movement of any involved motor vehicle requires medical treatment in an emergency room of a hospital and if probable cause exists to believe that a violation of section 3731 (relating to driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance) was involved, the emergency room physician or his designee shall promptly take blood samples from those persons and transmit them within 24 hours for testing to the Department of Health or a clinical laboratory licensed and approved by the Department of Health and specifically designated for this purpose. This section shall be [373]*373applicable to all injured occupants who were capable of motor vehicle operation if the operator or person in actual physical control of the movement of the motor vehicle cannot be determined. Test results shall be released upon the request of the person tested, his attorney, his physician or governmental officials or agencies.”

In accordance with the provisions of 75 Pa.C.S. §3755(a), a police officer may request that emergency room personnel take blood samples for testing from a person who requires medical treatment when probable cause exists to believe that the person has been operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. When such a request is made, the hospital personnel have an affirmative duty to obtain the blood samples and to transmit them for blood alcohol testing.

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Related

Commonwealth v. Riedel
651 A.2d 135 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1994)
Commonwealth v. Shaw
770 A.2d 295 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)
Mathis v. Commonwealth
770 A.2d 295 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
53 Pa. D. & C.4th 367, 2001 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-geary-pactcomplfayett-2001.