Pocono News Section

Trial of Man Accused of Killing State Senator Underway

Trial of Man Accused of Killing State Senator Underway - Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 04:37AM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Wednesday March 10 2010
STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY -- Prosecutors say Thomas Senavitis was drunk when he hit and killed State Senator James Rhoades with his car in 2008. Wednesday his trial began. Police say Senavitis had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit. Witnesses for the prosecution took the stand. They included Senator Rhoades’ wife Mary. This is the first time we've heard her version of what happened during the crash. Mary Edith Rhoades maintained her composure in and out of the courtroom, even as she told the jury the story about the crash that killed her husband and changed her life. On the witness stand Rhoades said she and her husband, Senator James Rhoades, were headed to a Pleasant Valley High School football game. The school planned to honor the senator for securing money to improve athletic fields. She recalled her husband driving along Route 209 in Gilbert. He told her they were almost there. Then she said, "All of a sudden he screamed and I looked and I saw a light." That light was an oncoming truck. It smashed into them. She remembered, "It was a crash but it seemed like it was out of this world. It was almost like slow motion." The next thing she knew there were two firemen trying to get into the vehicle. And an emergency medical technician trying to help her. The medic asked her questions like, "What's your name?" and "Do you know who is President of the United States?" Senator Rhoades couldn't recall the president's name. His wife said, "That scared me terribly. I knew something was wrong then." Rescue workers eventually pulled her out of the car and flew her to Lehigh Valley Hospital. The next day she heard her children crying and learned her husband was dead. Mary stayed in the hospital for nine days. She was allowed to leave briefly for the senator's funeral. She needed six months of intense physical therapy to help her recover. She suffered a cracked pelvis, four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a crushed knee, broken fingers. And a broken heart. Thomas Senavitis also suffered injuries in the crash. He broke his leg and gashed his lip open. His trial is expected to continue for at least one more day.