Coroner releases report in crash that killed 3
DUNKARD TWP. – Three Dilliner men who died in a one-vehicle accident early Wednesday morning were close friends who were returning home from a pool tournament at a local bar when tragedy struck. According to state police, the driver, Matthew E. Moore, 44, lost control of his vehicle near the intersection of Bobtown and Dunkard Hill roads and hit a tree around 2:20 a.m.
Also killed were Walter Ray Roebuck, 42, and Marlin B. Wade, 30. All three men died of multiple blunt force trauma, according to Greene County Deputy Coroner Mary Ann Lewis.
“Marlin just went out to shoot some pool Tuesday night and to have a good time with his buddies,” said his sister, Carla Richter of Carmichaels. “He hasn’t been out in such a long time. They just decided to shoot some pool, and then this had to happen.”
A fourth passenger, Steve Friend, 47, also of Dilliner, was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital, W.Va. He was released Wednesday.
Lewis said that a snow bank just outside the vehicle probably saved Friend’s life.
“All three men who died suffered extreme blunt force trauma to the head, chest and limbs,” said Lewis. “Friend was thrown from the vehicle and landed in a soft snow bank that very well may have saved his life.”
Lewis said toxicology tests will be run on Moore, since he was the driver.
Carol Roebuck of Dilliner said her brother “Wally” was at a pool tournament at Louie’s Bar (formerly Jimmy’s Tavern) in Dilliner just before the crash.
“I don’t know if he was an avid pool shooter, but he was shooting pool the night of the crash,” said Roebuck. “He was a self-employed auto mechanic, but he really wasn’t working because he got hurt in a prior accident.”
Roebuck said her brother had a lot of friends and will be sorely missed. She said he was known for his skill at building and racing cars.
“He built race cars, and he was really good at it,” she said. “He restored older-model and classic-model cars, and he helped other people with their race car projects. He was just very, very bright when it came to that, and he had a real aptitude for it.”
Richter said her brother, like Roebuck, was dearly loved.
“Marlin was a country boy who had family who loved him dearly,” said Richter. “He had a girlfriend with five children, who were not his, that he took care of all of the time.”
Wade worked as a welder for Zeni Drilling of Mount Morris. Richter said Moore, Roebuck, Friend and her brother all were good friends.
Richter said she talked with her brother the morning before the accident.
“I take care of my other brother who is paralyzed,” she said “and Marlin stayed with him the night before this happened. I remember that I was teasing him in the morning about his fuzzy hair. We just loved him so much that this is really hard.”
In addition to Richter, Wade is survived by his mother and father, Clarence B. and Judith Smithley Wade of Dilliner; a brother, Clarence Bradley Wade Jr. of Carmichaels; a nephew, David Drake Jr.; two nieces, Judith Drake and Rebecca Wade; his girlfriend, Dawn Smosny, and her five children; and a maternal grandmother, Mary Smithley of Waynesburg.
Friends will be received in the Richard R. Herod Funeral Home in Point Marion today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday until 11 a.m., the hour of service, with the Rev. William L. Parker officiating. Interment will follow in Fairview Cemetery, Taylortown.
In addition to his sister Carol, Roebuck is survived by his mother, Mary Thomas Roebuck of Dilliner; a sister, Elaine Copeland, and her husband, Edward Copeland, of West Virginia; and a niece, Lauren Santella of St. Albans, W.Va.
His father, Walter A. Roebuck, preceded him in death.
Friends will be received at the Paul Lesako Funeral Home Inc. in Carmichaels today from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday until 11 a.m., the hour of service, with the Rev. Donald Gillenwater officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Memorial Park, Point Marion.
Moore was born May 14, 1958, in Waynesburg, a son of Elmer and Irene Deemer Moore.
He was a 1976 graduate of Mapletown High School and attended Rosedale Technical Institute in Pittsburgh.
He was the owner of M.J.M. auto repair business in Dilliner.
In addition to his parents, his is survived by his wife, Lori Moore; a son, Johnathan Moore, and a daughter, Maria Moore, both at home; a brother, James Colwell of Pittsburgh; several nieces and nephews; one great-niece; and one great-nephew.
Friends will be received at the Louis E. Rudolph Funeral Home, Point Marion, today from 1 to 9 p.m. and Saturday until 1 p.m., the hour of service, with the Rev. Dr. William L. Parker officiating. Interment will follow in Wolf’s Cemetery, Dilliner.