Morris Township woman convicted of fatally striking mailman with car in Greene County
Driver accused of not taking prescription meds, leading to seizure
A woman who repeatedly failed to take her prescription drugs that led to her suffering a medical emergency while behind the wheel when she struck and killed a postal worker delivering mail along a Greene County road three years ago was convicted Monday of causing the man’s death.
Tina Marie Phillips, 49, of Morris Township, dabbed tears from her eyes as Greene County President Judge Lou Dayich read his verdict in court finding her guilty of homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter following a two-day bench trial earlier this month.
Phillips was on trial for fatally striking Chad Varner on Oct. 25, 2021, as he delivered mail to 180 Andrews Road in Morris Township. Greene Regional police said Phillips was diabetic and had epilepsy, but she had not been taking her prescribed medications, which apparently led to her suffering a seizure moments before the crash. Varner, 49, of Spraggs, was walking a package to the house when Phillips veered far off the roadway and struck him with her car in the property’s yard.
Testimony was heard on Oct. 16 and 17, and Dayich spent the past week-and-a-half reviewing the evidence before returning his guilty verdict, which included the felony counts of homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle.
In addition to the criminal charges, Dayich also found Phillips guilty of summary counts including reckless driving, careless driving, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, driving at safe speed and damage to property. He found her not guilty of one summary count of exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 miles per hour.
After reading his verdict, Dayich convened a brief sidebar in his chambers, prompting Phillips to leave the defense table to sit with her family gathered in the courtroom’s seating gallery. While there, she could be seen sobbing and burying her face in tissues as her family consoled her.
When Dayich and the attorneys returned, the judge told Phillips she must undergo a mental health evaluation within three days, although he did not immediately schedule a date for her sentencing. Phillips then left the courtroom with her family and went to the county’s adult probation office for processing. The public defender’s office, which represented Phillips during the trial, declined comment.
Varner’s family also attended the reading of the verdict, and they politely declined comment on the Dayich’s decision when approached by a reporter as they left the courthouse. The state Attorney General’s office, which prosecuted the case, could not be reached for comment on the verdict.
Phillips is free on $10,000 cash bond while she waits to be sentenced at a later date.