Officials confimed driver's identity in fatal crash

Montgomery County authorities confirmed Laura Stevens, 26, was the driver in Tuesday’s fatal car accident on Byberry Road that also killed her passenger, Wayne Foulke, and ignited a fire that destroyed an Upper Moreland home.

Vicki Firth, chief investigator with the Montgomery County coroner’s office, said dental records made the Philadelphia woman’s identification complete.

Stevens, like Foulke, died of smoke inhalation, thermal burns and multiple injuries caused from the violent crash. Both bodies were difficult to identify, Firth said, due to the severity of the crash and the ensuing fire.

Determining their identities through the vehicle’s registration was complicated too because some of the license plate was made unreadable by the fire, said Upper Moreland Police Chief Thomas Nestle.

The Chrysler 300’s registration had recently been changed and, Nestle said, Stevens had put a license plate from another car on the Chrysler, which hampered the identification process.

Nicole Barratt, who said she was a cousin of Foulke, said her relative was “a beautiful soul who wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“He got along well with everyone,” she said. “There isn’t a negative thing that could be said about him. He had an infectious smile and great big plans for himself. There is a hole in our hearts that will never go away. His laugh, his smile and his love of life will be forever missed.”

Barratt and some others who commented online to the newspaper’s story Thursday criticized the inclusion of information about Foulke and Stevens having criminal records.

“Despite their past, they were good people,” said Barrett. “That statement makes them seem like hardened criminals, which they clearly were not.”

The cause of the deadly accident is under investigation, as Upper Moreland police await toxicology test results, expected in six to eight weeks.

Nestle said the accident scene indicated no sign of Stevens’ car braking. The failure to brake offers the possibility that drunk driving or speeding could be factors in the accident, the chief said.

Court records show and Nestle said that both victims had “fairly extensive criminal records.”

Mark Gilson, an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, said Stevens was scheduled to appear in court July 29 for a driving under the influence arrest in November 2010.

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