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Lehigh County man who caused crash gets jail time

A Lehigh County man, who admitted causing a crash that resulted in serious injuries to another driver, and himself, was sentenced to a prison term on Thursday in Carbon County court.

Danny Ray Green, 55, of Whitehall, was sentenced by Judge Joseph J. Matika to serve nine to one day less 24 months in the county prison on a felony charge of accidents involving death or serious injuries while not licensed.He previously pleaded guilty to the charge. He also faces a substantial restitution bill.Green was arrestedfollowing a three-vehicle crash that occurred on Aug. 23, 2013, in Packer Township.The crash occurred at 4:30 p.m. along Route 93. State police at Hazleton said Green, driving a 1997 Ford Explorer, was southbound when his vehicle traveled into the northbound lane and struck a 2006 Pontiac G operated by Erin Mary Delregno, 30, of Freeland.After the initial impact, the Explorer continued in the northbound lane where it struck a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Keith D. Halechko, 36, of Beaver Meadows.Green and Delregno were flown by helicopter to the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, for treatment of injuries.Delregno suffered serious injuries in the crash. Halechko was also injured but refused medical treatment at the scene.A blood test revealed a 0.03 BAC for Green. Troopers also said he had no valid license at the time.Green expressed remorse for what occurred. "I'm totally sorry for everything," he told Matika. He added, "I never meant to hurt anyone. If I could change it, I would."Matika noted that Green has a long prior criminal record includes several arrests for driving without a license.Matika told him, "There are consequences to your actions. You got behind the wheel at a time you never should have been driving and it resulted in serious injuries."In addition to the jail term, Matika ordered Green to make total restitution of $29,689.95, render 75 hours of community service when released on parole, get drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations and zero tolerance for D&A use.He was also ordered to supply a DNA sample, pay court costs of about $1,000, pay a $50 per month supervision fee, and have no contact with the victims of the crash.Green is facing parole violation matters in Lehigh County, where he is currently an inmate.