Upper Providence Man Sentenced For Fatal Lock 60 Drunk Driving Accident

UPPER PROVIDENCE, PA — The Upper Providence man who was high and drunk when he flipped his car into Lock 60, killing two passengers, is headed to jail, court documents show.

Robert Bruce Hoffman, now 23, will spend the next one and a half to three years in prison, according to court documents.

Hoffman was 21 when the incident at the Schuylkill Canal Park occurred on Oct. 4, 2015. He was under the influence of marijuana, Clonazepam, and alcohol as he drove with two passengers to a small pull off area just across Tow Path Road from the canal, authorities said.

When they were ready to leave, Hoffman backed the car up, but it flipped over the edge of the embankment, causing the car to land in the canal upside down in about four feet of water, the Montgomery County District’s Attorney’s office said.

His passengers, Clinton Berger, 29, and Lauren Maragal, 25, were unable to get out of the car and both drowned.

Related coverage:

• Gone But Not Forgotten: Schuylkill Canal Victims Memorialized
• Victims Identified In Fatal Schuylkill Canal Crash

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office