Teen’s death ruled avoidable accident
A Fayette County Coroner’s jury is asking that state police look into who supplied a 19-year-old Smithfield man with alcohol the night he wrecked his car and died. Jurors ruled that Ryan Murray Maloney’s death was an avoidable accident caused by excessive speed and a blood-alcohol content of .163. That BAC is in excess of the .10 limit for drivers in Pennsylvania, however, since Maloney was underage, any BAC above .02 is considered illegal. Police said a case of beer was in the back of the car.
Testimony showed that despite the posted 35 mph speed limit along Route 857, Maloney was traveling between 72-76 mph.
The panel also asked that accident reconstructionist Cpl. Joseph D’Andrea re-examine his report to determine if Maloney was indeed driving in the 1 a.m. July 22 Springhill Township accident.
Although Maloney was found partially ejected on the passenger’s side of his father’s Pontiac Trans Am, D’Andrea’s report on the accident determined that Maloney was the driver.
Passenger Christopher Allen Meyokovich testified that he could not remember anything about the accident, but testified that he “absolutely” was not driving that night.
Jason Lee McFadden and John Robert Riggle Jr., both of whom were sleeping out in a tent near the accident scene, each testified that they saw Meyokovich shortly after the accident and he indicated to them he was not driving.
McFadden and Riggle told police after the accident that they did not smell alcohol on Meyokovich, but emergency medical technician Joseph French testified that Meyokovich, whom he treated, smelled of alcohol.
Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly said that no blood-alcohol content was available for Meyokovich because it is outside of the authority of his office to ask for such things.
In the crash, police said that the Trans Am hit a rock wall, then hit a wooden utility pole so hard that it sheared it, before hitting trees.
The majority of the damage, said police, was to the passenger side of the vehicle.
Meyokovich said he spent three days in Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., and had contusions and cuts from the accident.
If police can determine who supplied the alcohol, jurors reserve the right to reopen the case and ask that charges be filed for furnishing alcohol to a minor.