FRANKLIN, MASS. (WHDH) - A man accused in a drunk driving crash that killed a 5-year-old girl in Franklin Saturday pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Prosecutors said James N. Blanchard, 21, of Franklin, was driving on the wrong side of Grove Street Saturday at around 6 p.m. when he allegedly hit a sedan.
The crash killed the young girl and injured her brother, mother, and father, who were all inside the sedan, police said. A memorial continues to grow at the crash site.
Prosecutors said Blanchard said he had consumed a couple of beers at work as a landscaper during the day before drinking more than a liter of vodka straight from the bottle.
“When he left, he opened the bottle of Tito’s, what he had bought earlier, and began drinking straight out of it and drove home,” said prosecutor Christopher Meade. “When asked about the two bottles of Tito’s in the car, he said the empty one was from the night before and the one that was a quarter full of vodka was the bottle he had bought earlier in the day and was drinking before the crash.”
When police gave Blanchard a breathalyzer test, prosecutors said he blew a result of about twice the legal limit.
He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $250,000 bail. He is due back in court next month.
“There are no words to adequately express the remorse that my client feels. It’s an unspeakable tragedy. It’s every parent’s nightmare and his thoughts and my thoughts and prayers are with the Patel family,” said Tim Flaherty, Blanchard’s defense attorney.
Julie Blaney held the 5-year-old girl on her lap, comforting her as much as she could.
Blaney, who is a respiratory therapist, was in a car behind the family of four before the tragic crash.
“My prayers will always be with you I will never forget your Childs face again I’m so sorry for the loss. Its a big loss,” said Blaney.
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