GUILTY PA - Five killed by drunk driver on I-81, South Abington Twp, 23 Jan 2016

A 29-year-old man from Lake Ariel pleaded guilty Thursday to killing five people while driving under the influence last year, exposing himself to at least 15 years in state prison and closing a chapter on one of the bloodiest crashes this region has seen in decades.

Manannikov’s passenger, 32-year-old Ashley Wheeler, died at the scene of the crash, as did three people in the Honda he struck — Vinodchandra M. Patel, 68; Komal D. Vyas, 30, and Shilpaben Bhavesh Patel, 29. Bhaveshkumar Patel, 42, who was also in the Honda, died from his injuries about a week later. Only one passenger in the Honda survived: Silpaben Bharat Patel.

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Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced 30-year-old Gennadiy Manannikov to 18 to 36 years in state prison, well short of the 60 years he could have faced, for driving the wrong way on a major interstate and colliding head-on with another vehicle in one of the area’s most fatal crashes in recent history.

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Wheeler’s family expressed deep anger at Manannikov, who, for most of Friday’s proceeding, stared at the floor.

Wheeler’s sister, Ryan Butler, described Manannikov as a “sociopathic maniac” who hid his behavior behind a wall of “alcohol made me do it.”

Lisa Dobitsch, Wheeler’s aunt, told Manannikov, “You’ve taken children’s parents. Don’t forget it.”

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Gennadiy Manannikov of Lake Ariel was the driver of the wrong-way Lincoln. He was charged with five counts of homicide by motor vehicle and DUI. He will serve a three-year sentence for each death, in total, 18 years to 36 years behind bars.

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