Poland doctor testifies fatal boat crash brought back Iraq war experience – WFMJ
MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio -
The trial against a Poland doctor chargedin a deadly boat crash at Berlin Reservoir in 2015 came to a close Tuesday afternoon.
The defense and prosecution teams presented their closing arguments, after a morning of testimony from the accused, 38-year-old Dr. Joseph Yurich.
Thedoctor admitted to leaving the scene of the crash while on the witness stand Tuesday morning.
Yurich faces a felony charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and operating a vehicle while impaired.
The charges stem from allegations that Yurich killed an Akron man after crashing into his fishing boat and fleeing the scene.
Investigators say Yurich was speeding when he struck the boat around midnight on May 9, 2015.
While on the witness stand Tuesday morning, Yurich testified that he remembers an explosion, and then nothing until a short while later when he was near the "Dutch Harbor" of Berlin Lake.
Yurich stated that the explosion reminded him of time spent deployed in Iraq, in which he witnessed the fallout from enemy fire.
The doctor was enlisted and deployed in the military in 2009, immediately following his medical residency. Yurich operated as a field surgeon and assisted troops as part of the Forward Surgical Team.
"I've been deployed three times, all in combat zones. Meaning there is imminent enemy threat and danger, frequently hit by mortars, rockets. What's called indirect hits," said Yurich.
In particular, Yurich testified about an incident during his first deployment. He said he was shaken by an experience in which a blast hit the base at which he was stationed.
Yurich said that in 2009 he was in Tikrit, Iraq, walking back from the latrine when he heard a loud whistle and then an explosion about 100 yards away. He testified that he remembers being knocked to the ground and being scared.
After an emotional pause, Yurich apologized and stated that he doesn't like to talk about the experience.
He continued, "Things tend to go slow, you don't hear anything, you don't know whats going on, you just react. What we had been told to do in that scenario in pre-deployment training to do was grab our gear and head to our duty stations. I ended up operating that night on a significant number of our nurses who had been injured."
When pressed by the defense, Yurich stated that during the crash on Berlin Lake, he heard an explosion, but then couldn't remember anything else. Yurich likened it to the experience in Iraq.
"The last thing I remember was an explosion when I heard that explosion it triggered memories. I don't remember anything else until I was over by the state park on the left side of the lake," said Yurich. "The explosion sounded similar to what I experienced in Iraq. It brought back memories, and it felt like in the moment I relived that experience."
Under cross examination, Yurich later admitted that the particular blast he recounted happened during his first deployment. The prosecution asked him if he ever sought a separation front he military, or to not be sent back to Iraq: Yurich testified that he did not.
Yurich testified that when following the explosion, his next memory is at the harbor. He claimed that he remembered being scared, even embarrassed that he couldn't remember what happened. He claimed he felt that he had hit something and there was an explosion, but said he had no recollection of having hit another boat, and thought that it may have been a large rock.
While on the stand, Yurich was able to recall details from the earlier portions of the day, such as specific details as to what he ate and the times he had done things with his wife and 10-month-old child.
Yurich admitted to drinking on the evening of the crash, saying that he and a few friends had traveled to a bar. Yurich testified that he drank two beers, and two shots known as "mini-beers" while at the bar. Yurich explained that a mini-beer is a shot of Licor 43 topped with cream, made to look like a small beer. But he argued that he was not drunk.
"I felt fine. I didn't feel any different than I had at any other point of the day," said Yurich.
Authorities alleged that Yurich was intoxicated, but Judge Durkin has ruled that blood and urine samples taken from Yurich are inadmissible because they were not refrigerated before being taken to a lab for analysis.
Yurich went on to detail the portion of the evening he spent at a friend's campsite, where he claims started drinking another beer, but never finished it.
The prosecution also argues that Yurich was traveling at unsafe speeds. During his testimony, Yurich recounted leaving the campsite in his boat shortly before midnight. He testified that as he pulled out the dock he looked around, and did not see any other boats or lights.
Yurich admitted that while boating back to his house, he was not following the recommended night time speed limit of 10 miles an hour. He testified that he headed toward the route 224 bridge over Berlin Lake, to use as a guide point for his direction.
He said that that night was one of the "few times" he had been out on the lake by himself. When asked again by the prosecution Yurich redirected and testified that he had never before taken the boat out on the lake at night alone.
"I remember throttling back to a speed I felt comfortable and safe," said Yurich, "given I didn't see any other traffic"
Yurich testified he does not remember hearing any thing on the lake nearby, until the explosion.
The doctor then recounted getting to a dock and calling a friend who told him he was on a distress call. Yurich explained that when he got home he told his wife that there was an explosion, but that he couldn't remember.
The doctor said he started calling other people to try to figure out what had happened, he testified that he wanted to find out what the explosion was because he couldn't remember.
According to Yurich, it was nearly an hour later when his wife found out from someone that he had probably hit a boat, and she called 911.
However, when he was cross-examined by the prosecution Yurich admitted that there were several details that he did not initially tell officials including the number of people on another boat, that that boat was playing music, that Yurich himself had consumed two shots in addition to the beers, or that there was an explosion.
Yurich testified that he remembered telling a lieutenant that he believed it was a rock or something.
He also testified that the week after the crash he sought help from a psychiatrist.
Judge Durkin is expected to issue a verdict in the case Wednesday.
If he is convicted, Yurich could face several years in prison.
This is a developing story. Stay with 21 News for more information as it becomes available.
Read the original post:
Poland doctor testifies fatal boat crash brought back Iraq war experience - WFMJ