Bensalem Man Drove 77 MPH In Driveway Before DUI Crash: Police

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA — A Bensalem man who had been drinking and arguing with his wife at a Bucks County country club hit speeds above 77 mph while still in the club's driveway before slamming into a light pole and tree, seriously injuring the woman, police say.

Edward Lawrence Sacco, 53, of Bensalem, was more than twice Pennsylvania's legal blood-alcohol limit to be driving after the crash at Spring Mill Country Club, which happened the day after Thanksgiving, according to Northampton Township Police.

Sacco was arraigned Thursday in Bucks County Magisterial Court. He is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, driving under the influence, recklessly endangering another and reckless driving, according to police.

He posted $5,000 unsecured bail the same day, according to court documents.

According to a criminal complaint, police were called at 9:29 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2020 to Spring Mill Country Club, at 80 Jacksonville Rd. in the Ivyland area. They arrived to find a 2020 GMC truck that had slammed into a tree along the club's driveway, which stretches from the clubhouse to Jacksonville Road.

Police say their investigation showed that Sacco had been drinking when he and his wife, Eileen Sacco, left the club at about 9:20 p.m. They argued in the parking lot for several minutes before both getting into the truck, the complaint says.

Neither Edward nor Eileen Sacco was wearing a seatbelt, according to police.

The complaint says that Edward Sacco was driving and that, according to a data recorder taken from the truck, he was going 77.1 mph just five seconds before the crash. The truck was still moving at 46 mph when the airbags deployed, according to the complaint.

Before reaching Jacksonville Road, Sacco lost control of the truck and it flew off of the driveway, striking a light pole and tree. He and Eileen Sacco had to be extracted from the truck and she suffered injuries including a punctured lung, broken leg and broken vertebrae, investigators said.

Edward Sacco was taken to Abington Hospital, where police say a blood draw showed him to have a blood-alcohol level of .167 — more than twice Pennsylvania's legal limit of .08.

According to Northampton Township Police, a warrant was issued for Sacco's arrest and he turned himself in at police headquarters Thursday afternoon. A preliminary court hearing in the case has been scheduled for Feb. 25.