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Witness says Chartiers Township woman was speeding before fatal I-79 crash

N.Y. man died in head-on collision near Canonsburg exit

By Mike Jones 3 min read
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A woman was speeding on Interstate 79 in North Strabane Township moments before she lost control of her SUV and shot across the median into oncoming traffic, according to testimony Monday from another motorist who witnessed the head-on collision that killed a New York man last year.

Mindy Burgess said she was going about 65 miles per hour while traveling north in the 55 mph zone between the Houston and Canonsburg exits on Aug. 23 when a vehicle driven by Rachel Ann Phillips sped past her and then nearly went off the right side of the highway.

Burgess then saw Phillips overcorrect her SUV and careen across traffic, driving through the grassy median before striking a southbound car head-on and ricocheting into two others.

“I watched her veer over on the right side of the road. … When that happened, I could literally see her turn the wheel and it literally catapulted (the SUV) across the median and into oncoming traffic,” Burgess said during Phillips’ preliminary hearing in Washington County Central Court.

Phillips, 35, of Chartiers Township, struck a vehicle driven by Gary M. Reinhardt, causing catastrophic damage to both vehicles. Reinhardt, 58, of Lancaster, N.Y., died at the scene while Phillips was suspended upside down between the seat and dashboard inside her vehicle, which was on its passenger side.

Burgess, who has a nursing background and is executive director of a local personal care facility, stopped on the side of the highway and went to the crash site to assist the victims.

“We were trying to calm her down,” Burgess said of Phillips. “She was literally hanging upside down.”

She added that Phillips was rocking the SUV back and forth trying to free herself from the vehicle.

“I have to get out of here,” Burgess recalled Phillips saying.

When Burgess went over to Reinhardt’s vehicle to help, it was clear that he was likely already dead.

“I could see his arm. I could not find him from the impact of the vehicle,” Burgess said while becoming emotional. “I could only see his forearm and hand.”

North Strabane fire Capt. Dominic Sicchitano said when his department arrived at the scene, Phillips was “combative” and kept asking the same questions about “what happened” moments earlier. He then smelled alcohol inside the vehicle, and saw Twisted Tea alcohol cans in the vehicle, which was information he passed along to state police troopers at the scene.

State police Trooper Deondre Brown testified that he took that information in order to get a search warrant of Phillips’ blood from the hospital, which apparently did not show any alcohol in her system, but did reveal the contents of fentanyl, benzodiazepine and marijuana.

However, when defense attorney Peter Marcoline questioned Brown about the drug screening, the trooper did not immediately have it at his disposal. Brown was able to produce the report after leaving the witness stand, but Marcoline questioned the evidence against Phillips, including whether the alcohol cans were open before the crash or if they had been ripped open during the impact.

“Sometimes – and unfortunately – accidents can happen,” Marcoline said.

Despite the lab report never being entered into evidence, District Judge James Saieva Jr. ordered Phillips to stand trial on all charges, which include felony homicide by vehicle and misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and driving under the influence. She has been free on $175,000 unsecured bond since charges were filed in April.

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