Corbin Churchill '05 and the Vermont man he hit in an Aug. 21 automobile accident both escaped with their lives -- barely.
But the drunk-driving accident landed the Dartmouth senior in critical condition at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Churchill, who suffered serious brain damage, is reportedly making a steady recovery at home in Lawton, Mich., after being released from DHMC on Sept. 7.
Churchill, who was working on campus over the summer but living across the river in Norwich, was driving in the wrong direction on Interstate 91 northbound when his Oldsmobile sedan hit Lange's Geo Metro head on.
Blood tests revealed that Churchill's blood alcohol content was .24, or triple the legal limit in the state of New Hampshire. The weather on the night of the accident was clear, and the road was dry, according to police reports.
The accident occurred near mile marker 77 in Norwich at about 11:30 p.m. Both cars were totaled, and Churchill, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his car as it careened off of I-91 and down an embankment.
Lange, restrained by his seatbelt, received cuts to the forehead but was able to call the Vermont state police to report the accident.
The Vermont Police, who had received previous reports of a vehicle traveling the wrong way on Interstate 91 north, immediately deployed five state troopers to the scene. After extensive searching, the troopers finally located Churchill's car, which had ended up in the Goodrich Four Corners area off of Interstate 91.
Lange's injuries were relatively minor, and he was released from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center shortly after being admitted.
Churchill, a member of Gamma Delta Chi fraternity and an engineering major who worked in the Thayer Machine Shop, remains at home and is not enrolled at Dartmouth this fall. His father, Mark Churchill, said no one knows when his son might return to the College.
"He sustained serious injuries, and he's on a long road to recovery, but we are hopeful," Mark Churchill said.
Churchill's friends were reluctant to discuss the details surrounding his accident. Gamma Delt president Andrew Rankin '05 said Churchill's fraternity members wish him a healthy recovery.
According to John Ballard '07, a friend who worked with him at the machine shop, Churchill has retained most cognitive functions. However, he has suffered such severe brain damage that he cannot even recognize his mother, Ballard said.
Churchill has been charged with driving while intoxicated, but his court date has been postponed for six months because he is still unable to appear in court.