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The trial of Dr. Joseph Yurich continues on Friday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in Youngstown, Ohio. Yurich is accused of crashing a boat into a fishing vessel on May 9, 2015. The accident resulted in the death of Neal Cuppett, 58. Bruce Lindamood,42, was injured as well. Yurich is now facing several charges, including vehicular homicide. Court is expected to begin at 9:00 am ET.
In addition to homicide, and a vehicular assault charge for Lindamood’s injury, Yurich, a surgeon, is accused of being drunk at the time of the crash. He is facing a charged of operating a watercraft while impaired. A blood alcohol test showed a level of .08, which is just above the legal limit, however the tests were ruled to be inadmissible at trial because the blood and urine samples had not been properly refrigerated before going to a lab for testing. Despite this, prosecutors believe they still have enough evidence to support the charge, including a statement from Yurich, where he allegedly admitted to having “a couple” drinks.
The prosecution rested their case on Friday, after calling nearly two dozen witnesses over the course of the trial. The last of them was Richard McCullough of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. McCullough had investigated the boat crash, and testified that based on his observations, the damage was too great to be the result of a low-speed collision. The speed limit on the water at the time of the crash was just 10 miles per hour.
The defense is expected to begin presenting their case on Monday.
Stay with LawNewz.com and the LawNewz Network for continuing coverage of the trial.
