Bushkill Township teen who died after car crash had been drinking, police say

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Tyler Merritt, the Bushkill Township teen who died Wednesday from injuries in a Sept. 3 car crash, was drinking prior to the wreck, township police said.

Merritt, 19, was driving a car with two other underage passengers and crashed into a tree on the 200 block of Young Road at 9:21 p.m., according to a report police released today.

A 2010 graduate of Nazareth Area High School, Merritt died of head injuries 11 days after the accident. He had been on life support at St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill but never regained consciousness, according to his mother, Cynthia Merritt.

Tyler Merritt had a blood-alcohol content of 0.06 at the time of the crash, said township police Cpl. Dave Marino. Although illegal for a minor, that is below the legal limit for adults, which is 0.08.

Cynthia Merritt said she had not been informed her son had been drinking that night, and that she never knew him to drink and drive.

"We're very shocked to hear that because Tyler was adamantly against drinking and driving," she said. "He always slept over or had a designated driver when he was drinking. They were very good about that."

Dalton Garrett Kipp, 18, of Bushkill Township, was the front-seat passenger and Talia Austin, 20, of Nazareth, was in the back seat, police said. Kipp told emergency responders they had been drinking rum that night, police said.

None of the occupants was wearing seat belts and air bags did not deploy, police said. All three were taken to St. Luke's Hospital after the crash.

Marino said neither Kipp nor Austin will face underage drinking charges. They did not receive blood tests after the crash.

The Kipp family declined to comment for this story, and a message to Austin was not immediately returned.

Kipp suffered serious injuries including a hairline fracture to his neck, but has since been released from the hospital, Cynthia Merritt said. Austin was not seriously hurt, police said.

Austin told police they were driving east on Young Road when the car started swerving back and forth, then Merritt lost control, drove off the road and struck a tree.

Austin said they were driving from a Nazareth deli when the crash occurred, police said. When questioned, she denied the three had been drinking, police said.

The three passengers were all friends, Cynthia Merritt said. Merritt and Kipp were in a band together; Merritt played guitar.

"Tyler was a sweet and giving boy," she said. "He donated his organs after he passed, and that kind of tells you what kind of person he was."

Merritt worked at Staffmark/Crayola in Bethlehem. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his father, John Merritt, and his brothers Cory and Ryan Merritt, according to his obituary.

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