A 33-year-old Moosic man faces charges after police said he ran a stop sign with his vehicle, striking another SUV and seriously injuring a 5-year-old girl In October.
Police responded to Pittston Avenue and East Corey Street in Scranton on Oct. 3 around 9:48 a.m. for the report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries, according to a criminal complaint
Upon arrival, Patrolman Timothy McHale found a silver Subaru Ascent, with heavy damage, pinned against a commercial truck, police said.
A blue Chevrolet Equinox — located behind the Subaru — also had heavy front-end damage, officers said.
The driver of the Chevrolet — identified as Rysene Price — told police he was driving east on East Corey Street and tried to stop at the stop sign, but claimed his braking system failed, leading him to strike the other vehicle, police said. However, the inspection sticker on his vehicle indicated it passed inspection in August.
McHale determined the Chevrolet was traveling east on East Corey Street and entered the intersection with Pittston Avenue, with the initial impact causing the rear end of the Subaru to spin counterclockwise and strike the parked commercial truck.
The Subaru had two occupants: the driver — identified as Danielle Kolodzieski — and a back right seat passenger — Kolodzieski’s 5-year-old daughter — who was secured in a child seat, police said.
The impact between Kolodzieski’s vehicle and the parked truck occurred directly where the girl was seated, leaving her unconscious by the time emergency medical personnel arrived on scene, according to the criminal complaint.
The child was extricated from the vehicle and transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, police said. Due to the extent of her injuries, she was later flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville for further evaluation.
State troopers assisted with the investigation, according to the criminal complaint.
Troopers informed McHale on Feb. 13 that they determined the Chevrolet’s braking system was functioning properly, police said. State police also concluded there was no indication the crash was caused by any vehicle or environmental factors.
An investigation of the vehicle’s electronic data showed the Chevrolet was traveling 27 mph five seconds before the crash and 25 mph one second before, and there was no indication the driver attempted to brake, according to the criminal complaint.
Police charged Price, 3300 Birney Ave., Apt. 2, with aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving and other driving-related offenses.
He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 a.m.