Three killed in spate of traffic crashes, 2 involving motorcycles, in Erie region
Tim HahnAn already deadly year on roadways in the Erie region has become even more deadly as Pennsylvania State Police troopers investigate three fatal traffic accidents in the region over the weekend.
Two of the crashes involved motorcyclists who were killed in accidents that occurred less than 90 minutes apart on Saturday.
The first crash was reported on Saturday at about 2:15 p.m. in the 7700 block of Liberty Street, which is Route 322, in Hartstown, Crawford County. According to state police in Meadville, a 2022 Mitsubishi Mirage driven by an 80-year-old Pittsburgh man was pulling out of a parking lot to travel west on Liberty Street when it collided with an eastbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle driven by a 62-year-old Mercer County man.
The motorcyclist, identified by state police as Jed E. Davis, of Hermitage, was taken to UPMC Horizon in Greenville, where he died, troopers reported.
The driver of the Mitsubishi and a 77-year-old female passenger were taken to the Meadville Medical Center for treatment of suspected minor injuries, according to state police.
The second fatal accident on Saturday was reported at 3:41 p.m. on Edinboro Road, north of Woodbriar Way, in Washington Township, Erie County.
According to state police in Erie, a 30-year-old man was traveling north on Edinboro Road driving a Suzuki motorcycle and was attempting to legally pass a Dodge Ram pickup truck when the pickup truck driver attempted to make a left-hand turn and struck the motorcycle.
The motorcyclist, identified by state police as Dustin Koszarek was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities reported. He lived in Erie, according to the Erie County Coroner's Office.
Troopers said the driver of the Dodge left the accident scene and traveled south on Edinboro Road, east on Old State Road and south on Hamilton Road. State Police later located the truck and identified the driver as a 72-year-old man, whose name and address were not released. Troopers seized the truck and took a statement from the driver.
There have been nine fatal motorcycle accidents in Erie County so far this year, surpassing the eight motorcycle fatalities that occurred in the county in 2022, according to the Erie County Coroner's Office and other information.
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Fuller Hose Co. member struck, killed
The third accident happened on Sunday at about 12:45 p.m. on West Main Road, which is Route 20, at Brickyard Road in North East Township.
According to state police in Erie, a member of the Fuller Hose Co. auxiliary police was assisting state police in directing traffic in the eastbound lanes following a two-vehicle crash at the intersection when a 2007 Lexus RX350 that was traveling at high speed approached the area. Troopers wrote in a news release that the driver of the Lexus "maneuvered his vehicle" toward the auxiliary police member, who was wearing a fluorescent green shirt and was holding a bright orange flag, and struck the victim.
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The auxiliary police member, Shawn Giles, 53, of North East, was killed in the accident, according to the Erie County Coroner's Office.
The accused driver of the Lexus, 41-year-old Dawann M. Simmons, of Erie, was taken into custody and was arraigned Sunday night by North East District Judge Scott Hammer on third-degree felony counts of homicide by vehicle and accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed, and on summary counts of driving under suspension, driving without a license and reckless driving. Hammer set bond at $200,000.
Simmons is tentatively scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Aug. 31, according to information in his online court docket sheet.
Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.