Jun 28, 2002 By Christine Haines 3 min read

WASHINGTON – Just a few miles from the Masontown street where a suspected drunken driver allegedly hit and killed a woman Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has installed a new billboard aimed at stopping drunken driving. The new sign, featuring Mickey McDade of Smock, who was killed by a drunken driver in State College in 1993, is located on Route 21 near McClellandtown. The 5- by 10-foot billboard features McDade’s photo under the caption “Killed by a Drunk Driver.” The area beside the photo carries the warning “Caution: Drunk Drivers at Work.”

“Maybe even one of his friends from high school will see this and think, ‘He was killed by a drunken driver, maybe I won’t drink today,'” said Charlene Augustine of Smock.

Ironically, the day the billboard was installed, Gloria Schotts, 58, of Masontown was struck and killed by a car that police allege Roger Lee Schartiger, 37, of Masontown was driving. Schartiger faces numerous charges including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and driving while under suspension for DUI.

“These accidents are happening every day, every minute,” said Jay Ofsanik, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 12 safety officer. “We don’t call them accidents any longer. Drunken driving is a choice. Someone chose to go out and get drunk, so we don’t call them accidents.”

District 12 covers Fayette, Washington, Greene and Westmoreland counties. Each county is getting one of the billboard featuring a local resident killed by a drunken driver.

“We want people to see the consequences of drinking and driving. We want to make it personal,” Ofsanik said. “These signs will be up as long as we can maintain them.”

Lt. Robert Connelly, the patrol section commander at the state police barracks at Washington, said the police are attacking drunk driving through education and enforcement.

“Our officers will be out. They are trained and they are very good at what they do,” Connelly said. “For the holiday period for the July 4 weekend coming up, we will have added extra patrols. Slow down, buckle up, don’t drink and drive and never ride with a drunken driver.”

Dan Berthlotte of New Salem is Mickey McDade’s brother-in-law.

“The drunken driver that killed my brother-in-law served less than five years in jail, which I don’t think is fair. If these signs stop at least one person from drinking and driving, maybe that’s one more person who will live,” Berthlotte said.

Berthlotte said McDade died on Sept. 5, 1993, while on a motorcycle trip in the State College area.

“The guy who came around the curve came wide in my brother-in-law’s lane, head-on. He said he thought he hit a deer,” Berthlotte said.

Connelly said it is more accurate to call drunken drivers impaired drivers.

“They don’t think normally. They don’t think correctly and they make mistakes that end up hurting people,” Connelly said.