Hanover Township man charged for crash that killed wife
State police have charged a Hanover Township man for being under the influence of alcohol during a crash that killed his wife last April.
Stewart A. Wilson, 46, faces felonies of homicide by vehicle and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, as well as misdemeanors for involuntary manslaughter and DUI, and several traffic violations.
According to the criminal complaint filed Friday, Wilson was driving west on Steubenville Pike in Hanover Township shortly before 9 p.m. April 17 when state police said he did not see the vehicle ahead of him slowing to turn into a driveway near Grant Lane.
Police said that Wilson swerved into the eastbound lane and sideswiped the other vehicle. He then overcorrected to return to the other lane and drove directly into a guardrail. Wilson and Denise Pierce-Wilson, his wife, were ejected from the vehicle. Wilson’s daughter was in the backseat, according to the complaint.
Wilson was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment, while Pierce-Wilson, 52, died as a result of her injuries that night at Weirton Hospital in West Virginia.
According to the complaint, an employee of Hancock Ambulance Service told police he could smell alcohol on Wilson while transporting him to the helicopter.
Police interviewed Wilson at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, and he agreed to a blood draw. According to court documents, lab results showed that Wilson had a BAC of .088%, which is over the legal limit of .08% to legally drive a motor vehicle in Pennsylvania.
According to the complaint, the state police accident reconstruction unit determined that Wilson was driving about 65 mph at the time of the crash.
According to online court records, Wilson has not been arraigned on the charges and a preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.