Man admits killing 5 in wrong-way crash while driving drunk

SCRANTON, Pa. – A Pennsylvania man has admitted driving drunk in a 2016 wrong-way crash that killed five people.

Twenty-nine-year-old Gennadiy Manannikov, of Lake Ariel, pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of homicide by vehicle while driving drunk.

A Lackawanna County judge asked Manannikov if he understood that he faced up to 60 years in prison by pleading guilty, and Manannikov nodded his head and said yes.

State police said Manannikov drove the wrong way on Interstate 81 for about 7 miles before colliding head-on with another vehicle.

Four people in the vehicle Manannikov hit were killed, as was his passenger.

Manannikov had a blood alcohol content of 0.149 at the time of the wreck. The state’s limit for drivers is 0.08 per cent.