WILKES-BARRE TWP., LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The driver involved in a crash that killed a man has been charged with homicide by vehicle while under the influence, police stated.
State police stated on August 23, they were called to a single-vehicle crash on the Exit 168 off-ramp of Interstate 81 around 2:30 a.m.
As stated in the affidavit, a man, 26-year-old Adam Shaw of Plymouth, was found dead on the roadway in front of the car, appearing to have been ejected.
A second man, identified as Zackery Vincent Thiede Laiuvara, 30, of Nanticoke, claimed Shaw was driving and they were "cut off or hit" by another car, police reported.
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Through further investigation, detectives said they got surveillance footage of Laiuvara and Shaw drinking alcohol at a tavern in Kingston, at the Pittston Tomato Festival, and at a tavern in Scranton. According to court documents, video from outside the Scranton tavern showed Laiuvara getting into the driver’s seat of the car before the crash in Wilkes-Barre Township.
Troopers stated that Laiuvara claimed in multiple interviews with police that Shaw was the driver during the crash; however, investigators believe Laiuvara was in fact the driver.
The investigation determined that the car was operating at 78 mph at the time of the crash, and authorities on the scene said they detected an odor of alcohol on Laiuvara.
Laiuvara has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, driving under the influence, false report to law enforcement, and traffic violations. Laiuvara was taken to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, unable to post his $150,000 bail.
