Driver who crashed into house was drunk

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

An autopsy report from the Mahoning County coroner’s office shows the driver of a car that crashed into a Campbell residence at 80 to 90 mph April 24, killing himself and two passengers, was highly intoxicated.

The coroner’s office said the driver, Elijah B. Paige, 20, of Blackburn Street, Campbell, had a blood- alcohol level of 0.279, more than three times the legal drunken-driving threshold of 0.08. No other drugs of abuse were found in his system.

Ian A. Stores, 17, of East Parkside Drive, Boardman, a deceased passenger, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.042, with no other drugs of abuse in his system.

The other deceased passenger, Poetry H. Dotson, 21, of Reed Avenue, Campbell, tested negative for alcohol and other drugs.

All three died of blunt-force injuries from the crash, and all deaths were accidental, the coroner ruled.

One passenger, Malquan Patton, 17, of 13th Street, Campbell, was critically injured, but he survived the accident.

The car was eastbound on Blossom Avenue when it crashed into a house at 525 Cynthia Drive, where Blossom dead-ends, about 5 a.m.

The house was heavily damaged by the car, which was embedded in it, but the home’s occupants were not injured.