CRANBERRY TWP., Pa. (EYT) – Homicide by Vehicle, Involuntary Manslaughter, and related charges have been filed in connection with a fatal accident that occurred last year involving a street sweeper and a motorcycle.
The following charges were filed Friday against 57-year-old Michael C. Brown of Guys Mills:
- Homicide By Vehicle, Felony 3
- Involuntary Manslaughter, Misdemeanor 1
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
- Erection Of Traffic Control Device While Working
- No Slow Moving Emblem
According to a criminal complaint filed by Meadville-based State Police Trooper Malek, the accident occurred around 2:55 p.m. on October 4, 2016, when Brown was traveling eastbound on Bredinsburg Road in Cranberry Township in a John Deere skid-steer that was clearing the roadway with a rotating broom.
The criminal complaint states that Brown was sweeping mud deposited on the roadway by work trucks exiting and entering a “well road.”
The sweeping created a “hazardous dust cloud condition,” according to the criminal complaint.
Police say 55-year-old William Lee Moon, Jr., of Oil City, was also traveling eastbound on a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle and encountered the dust cloud.
The motorcycle struck the rear of the skid-steer causing Moon to be ejected from the motorcycle.
According to the criminal complaint, Moon’s head struck a cross bar mounted to the rear of the machine.
Moon was transported to UPMC Northwest where he was pronounced deceased as a result of his injuries suffered during the crash.
“Brown failed to erect work zone safety signs to warn motorists entering the area of work and maintenance on the roadway resulting in the fatal crash that occurred,” said Trooper Malek in the criminal complaint.
A preliminary arraignment is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on September 1 with Magisterial District Judge Patrick E. Lowrey presiding.
