Emergency Physician Faces Charges After Car Crash Kills Colleague

An emergency medicine physician is facing a myriad of charges following a car accident in July that claimed the life of his 47-year-old colleague, Douglas Rockacy, MD, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), CBS Pittsburgh reported.

In addition to DUI charges, Joseph Yanta, MD, 38, is also facing charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless driving, court records filed earlier this week confirmed.

In the lead-up to the crash, Yanta was driving over 120 mph in a 35-mph zone when he lost control around a bend and crashed the vehicle, data from his Tesla showed.

According to CBS Pittsburgh, Rockacy's family told police that the two physicians had participated in a golf outing and later visited a local pizzeria prior to the accident. While there, Yanta is alleged to have consumed six drinks over a 2.5-hour period, the outlet reported, citing a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Within 2 hours of the accident, police said that Yanta had a 0.172% blood alcohol content, more than double the legal limit. While Yanta was using a seat belt at the time of the crash, Rockacy was not.

An obituary for Rockacy noted that he was "a loving husband, father, brother, son, uncle, and friend."

Rockacy worked at UPMC Mercy, the center's main hospital facility, in Pittsburgh. "He was a dedicated doctor who spent his time treating patients and educating residents," the obituary read. "He was also a devoted father who unconditionally loved his children. He enjoyed golfing with his son, taking his daughter horseback riding, and spending time with family and friends."

UPMC did not respond to MedPage Today's request for comment regarding the charges against Yanta. Legal counsel for Yanta was not immediately clear.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported earlier this week that a spokesman for UPMC told the outlet that Yanta is not currently seeing patients and has no clinical duties assigned to him at this time.

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