Fayette EMS employee charged in hit-and-run crash
The assistant director of operations at Fayette EMS was arrested over the weekend for a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a Connellsville man.
Matthew David McKnight, 47, of Connellsville, faces felony charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence and accidents involving death or personal injury.
State police confirmed McKnight’s employment with Fayette EMS.
Fayette EMS did not answer the phone when called Sunday, and their voicemail box was full. His current status with the Fayette EMS was not immediately clear, but he was still listed on the agency’s website as the assistant director of operations.
According to a press release from state police, the accident occurred at 10:32 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of East End Road and Memorial Boulevard in Bullskin Township.
Police said Martin Halfhill, 67, and James Blackburn, 76, both of Connellsville, were stopped in the left-hand turning lane of Memorial Boulevard when McKnight entered the lane at a high rate of speed and crashed into the rear of Blackburn’s vehicle.
Blackburn was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital with severe injuries and remains in critical condition.
The collision pushed Blackburn’s vehicle forward into Halfhill’s. McKnight is accused of fleeing the scene, and state troopers found his vehicle at his residence with “extensive” front-end damage, according to the release.
McKnight also faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle or property.
Per online court records, McKnight was arraigned Sunday morning before District Judge Michael Defino, who sent him to the Fayette County jail on $15,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 27.