A 75-year-old driver from Moon Township visited local police the morning because he may have struck a teenage girl the night before. Believing he had hit a deer, the driver had no explanation for leaving the scene of the accident. The 17-year-old girl was discovered at 9:35 p.m. on Moon-Clinton Road after suffering serious injuries.

At present, police are treating and investigating the event as a hit-and-run vehicle crash. This is another example of a motor vehicle accident in Pennsylvania that seemingly could have been prevented with proper driver concentration, particularly when driving after dark.

Transported to UMPC Presbyterian Hospital by helicopter, police reported that the teenager was in critical condition. From their examination of the accident scene, police were looking for a pickup truck with a broken or burned out headlight. After the driver visited the police station the next morning, officers examined the vehicle and believed the pickup's damage was consistent with a pedestrian crash.

The driver, fully cooperating with police, surrendered his vehicle and agreed to a blood test at Heritage Valley Sewickly Hospital. Should the evidence indicate the pickup is the vehicle that injured the young girl, the driver could face the charge of creating an accident involving death or personal injury. This charge applies when a driver does not stop–and remain–at the scene of an accident until police officers arrive.

The Pennsylvania DMV regulations state that, should a driver leave the scene and an injured victim is present, this charge provides for a minimum 90-day sentence. The investigation is continuing.

Source: Beaver County Times, "Moon man may have struck 17-year-old pedestrian," Bill Utterback, Oct. 31, 2011