After two years, a guilty plea and sentence in Chester County DUI fatal

WEST CHESTER — The driver who had smoked marijuana before getting behind the wheel of his pickup and then soon after slammed head-on into an oncoming van, instantly killing the driver, pleaded guilty to homicide charges Friday, more than two years after the fatal crash.

James Rodney Collins, 30, of Glenmoore, entered his plea to charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence before Common Pleas Court Judge Patrick Carmody and was sentenced to a state prison term of four to 10 years.

Free on bail since his arrest on the case in 2022, Collins was taken into custody and sent to Chester County Prison after the emotional proceeding, where he will await transfer to the state system.

The crash that Collins caused on a rural road in West Brandywine took the life of 73-year-old David Gfell, a native of Chile who had lived most of his life in the Downingtown area and owned a furniture upholstering business in the borough.

Multiple members of his family attended the hearing before Carmody, including some via video link from out of state, and gave impact statements on what his death had meant to them.

His wife, Elizabeth Gfell, addressed Collins directly.

“There are no words to describe the consequences of a poorly made decision, which in a split second, altered the lives of so many creating a domino effect of emotional and economic turmoil,” she said as the defendant listened. “Finally, after two and a half years, justice will finally be served for my husband. Still, nothing will bring him back into our lives.

“James, may you deeply reflect on this tragedy and acknowledge the pain and suffering caused by a selfish decision, which impacted the lives of so many including your own. I hope your involvement in some kind of social work will help prevent similar tragedies like this in the future, she said.

Collins was found to have marijuana in his system at the time of the crash, sufficient enough for investigators to believe that he had recently smoked the drug before the collision, according to court records. That led him to be unable to safely operate his truck, stated West Brandywine Officer Richard Craig, a member of the county’s Serious Crash Assistance Team and licensed engineer, in his complaint.

According to Craig’s affidavit of probable cause, which was filed about a year after the crash, the two men were driving in opposite directions on Oct. 16, 2021, just prior to 6 a.m. on Hibernia Road, south of Route 322. Collins was traveling south on the road, but his 2014 Chevrolet pickup was found to be completely within the northbound lanes, where it collided in the “12 o’clock position” with Gfell’s Ford van.

Gfell was pronounced dead at the scene. Collins was unresponsive behind the wheel when Craig arrived, but later regained consciousness.

Craig stated in his complaint that he could smell the odor of recently burnt marijuana coming from the Chevrolet and that he could see marijuana and paraphernalia in the vehicle.

His investigation showed that neither man had been traveling at a high rate of speed, but that their combined velocity was more than 80 miles per hour when they collided. He estimated that Collins may not have even seen the oncoming van before the collision and that he did not appear to have made any attempt to stop before impact.

As part of his sentence, Collins is required to write a letter of apology to the Gfell family and complete 150 hours of community service related to the dangers of impaired driving.

Collins was represented by defense attorney Vince DiFabio of the Tredyffrin law firm of Platt, DiGiorgio and DiFabio.

To contact staff reporter Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.