On rescue call, firefighter accused of DUI

BETHEL – A Bethel Volunteer Fire Department member who responded to a serious motor-vehicle crash Tuesday is facing a charge of driving while under the influence, the Vermont State Police say.

Police said two people riding a motorcycle were injured in the crash, with one person sustaining a severed leg, the other a severed foot.

Troopers said they detected an odor of intoxicants from James Hart, 66, when he arrived on Camp Brook Road shortly after the crash at about 2:25 p.m. Tuesday.

Trooper Kelsey Knapp said the police were investigating the accident when Hart pulled up in his personal vehicle. She said he had a preliminary roadside breath test of 0.104 percent alcohol. The limit for adult drivers in Vermont is 0.08 percent.

Hart was transported to the state police barracks in Royalton, where he was processed for suspected DUI, the authorities said. He was issued a citation ordering him to appear next month in Vermont Superior Court in Hartford.

In the crash, Gustavo Chang, 22, of Manchster, New Hampshire, drove left of the center line on Camp Brook Road in his 1962 Impala and struck a motorcycle on the left side, Trooper Dan Martin said.

Dale O'Keefe, 74, of Mason, Wisconsin, was driving a 1994 Harley Davidson. His left foot was severed in the crash, police said. They said his passenger, Lisa O'Keefe, had a severed leg.

Both were transported to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, and she was later airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Chang, who was not wearing a seat belt, sustained a minor cut to his right arm. His car had extensive front end damage. Charges are pending an ongoing investigation, police said.

Bethel and Rochester Fire and Rescue responded to the call.