Pleasantville Woman Faces Wrongful Death Suit for Fatal DUI Crash

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published October 18, 2018 4:27 am
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CRAWFORD CO., Pa. (EYT) — A Venango County woman, currently incarcerated for a DUI crash that killed a Titusville woman, is now facing a wrongful death suit by the victim’s daughter.

According to the Meadville Tribune, 50-year-old Sharon L. Brittain, of Pleasantville, and the Titusville Moose Lodge have each been named as defendants in a wrongful death suit in the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas filed by the daughter of Joyce E. Fenstermaker, Diane Fenstermaker, who is also the administrator of her estate.

The suit was filed last week in the Crawford County Prothonotary’s Office.

The crash occurred around 9:55 p.m. on October 16, 2016. 71-year-old Joyce Fenstermaker was killed when her vehicle collided with Brittain’s Jeep after Brittain drove out of the Titusville Moose Lodge parking area.

Fenstermaker’s daughter claims the crash was caused by Brittain’s intoxication and that Brittain and the Titusville Moose Club and its employees were “negligent, careless, reckless and/or willful and wanton” in their conduct related to Brittain’s intoxication, according to The Meadville Tribune.

Fenstermaker is seeking a total of at least $140,000.00 in damages, plus interest and costs. The suit seeks $35,000.00 each in compensatory damages from Brittain and the Moose Lodge and $35,000.00 each in punitive damages from both parties, as well.

The suit is seeking a jury trial; however, no trial date has been set at this time.

On May 24, 2018, Brittain entered a guilty plea in the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas to one first-degree misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of DUI related to the crash that caused Fenstermaker’s death.

The DUI charge is for the highest rate of alcohol recognized, over 0.16%. Brittain’s blood alcohol level tested at 0.203% following the crash, which is more than double Pennsylvania’s legal limit of 0.08%.

She is currently is serving an eleven and a half to 24 months less one day sentence, to be followed by three years of probation, on the involuntary manslaughter charge and three days to six-month sentence on the DUI charge.

Judge Mark Stevens ordered the sentences on September 4, and they are to be served concurrently.

Brittain is also required to pay $1,500.00 in fines as well as court costs.

She was granted work-release privileges and was permitted a transfer to the Warren County Jail to serve her sentence.

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