A 29-year-old Woburn man was arraigned Wednesday, appearing virtually from his hospital bed in connection to a deadly alleged drunk driving crash that happened overnight in Lowell.
Derek Witzenman, who was also injured in the crash, is charged with OUI and negligent operation. He pleaded not guilty.
State troopers said when they arrived at the crash scene, Witzenman had glassy, bloodshot eyes and was slurring his words.
Troopers said he admitted to smoking marijuana.
Eric Courtmanche said he was driving home from work when he narrowly missed Witzenman’s blue mustang just moments before the crash. He said he flashed his lights in an attempt to alert the driver they were going the wrong way, but it did not work.
“So I flashed him, he was on the wrong side of the highway and he came kind of towards me, so I swerved out of the way a little bit and I knew someone was behind me a couple car lengths back. When I came around the bend I lost sight but when it hit I saw the debris and I called 911 immediately and I wrapped back around,” said Courtmanche.
Courtmanchedescribed what happened when he pulled up to the wreck.
“I said, ‘who was driving the Mustang?’ And he was off to the side, and I said, ‘stay right there,’” said Courtmanche. “Like that could have been me. You just passed me. So I said, you better hope to God they’re okay.
The driver of the vehicle that was hit was later pronounced dead. The passenger of that car is critically injured, and being treated at Lahey Medical Center.
“It wasn’t a good sight to see. I actually helped one of the state police officers take out the passenger, the woman,” said Courtmanche.
Troopers estimate Witzenman was driving about 70 to 80 miles-per-hour at the time.
Prosecutors said he was also driving with a suspended license.
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