May 3, 2017 2 min read

McMURRAY – A Monongahela man claims a rabbit crossed his path, causing his vehicle to swerve last year and collide with three motorcycles, killing a woman riding one of the bikes along Route 136 in Nottingham Township.

Arthur Peter Ginglardi, 74, registered as a victim in the fatal crash when he appeared Wednesday for a preliminary hearing before District Judge James Ellis on charges including homicide by vehicle.

However, state police said a witness on a motorcycle told officers he never saw a rabbit on Route 136 before the June 12 crash that killed Darla Cook, 51, of Washington.

Ginglardi, wearing maroon sweatpants and a black hooded jacket, waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Ellis in Peters Township, sending his case to be heard in Washington County Court. He appeared with a woman from a victim services office, and was represented by Glenn Alterio, a public defender in Washington County. He told Ellis he is now living in a personal care home.

Police, in court documents, said Ginglardi was driving west as fast as 65 mph when his car crossed the yellow line and struck part of a caravan of motorcycles traveling east. His car then slammed head-on into the berm beside the eastbound lane near Lusk Road. Ginglardi and four others were injured in the crash.

Police said Ginglardi, at the crash scene, appeared to be “slow and sluggish” and he also had bloodshot, glassy eyes. He admitted to having a prescription for the painkiller Vicodin but said he had not taken the drug for about a week, court records show. He told police he was driving that morning to The Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township.

Ginglardi, of 215 Second St., also is charged with aggravated assault by motor vehicle and simple assault. He is free on $25,000 unsecured bond.