An Erie woman whose April car crash in Keating Township injured everyone in her car has been charged with aggravated assault by vehicle in McKean County.
Stephanie C. Hamilton, 23, of 709 E. 24th St., is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and accidents involving injury while not licensed, third-degree felonies; accidents involving injury while not licensed — negligence, a third-degree misdemeanor; four counts of recklessly endangering another person, second-degree misdemeanors; and 12 summary offenses including reckless driving and careless driving.
According to the police report at the time of the crash, at 2:40 p.m. on April 4, on Route 646 in Keating Township, south of Deep Well Road, a car driven by Hamilton was traveling north when the car crossed into the southbound lane and tried to pass multiple vehicles traveling north.
A vehicle traveling south in the southbound lane was approaching quickly, and Hamilton’s car attempted to come back into its lane of travel when it went out of control, traveled off the road and rolled over multiple times, coming to final rest facing north.
When state police arrived on the scene, there were three adults and two children, all with serious injuries.
Hamilton was taken by Bradford City Fire Department to a landing zone and flown to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y., with suspected serious injuries. She was not wearing her seatbelt.
According to state police, passengers were as follows: Anthony Goodrich, 34, of Erie, transported by Phoenix Emergency Medical Services to a landing zone and flown to ECMC with suspected serious injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Randi Ramey, 24, of Erie, was transported by Port Allegany Ambulance Service to a landing zone and flown to ECMC with suspected serious injuries. She was not wearing a seatbelt.
A female infant of Erie, who was in a proper rear-facing child seat, had suspected minor injury, and was transported by Bradford City Ambulance to a landing zone and flown to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y.
A female toddler of Erie, age 3, was seated in a booster seat. She received suspected serious injury and was transported by Priority Care Ambulance to a landing zone and flown to Oishei Children’s Hospital.
On April 6 and 7, state police were able to interview the passengers that were in the vehicle Goodrich said he had gotten a ride from Hamilton after going to court in Smethport. He said Hamilton attempted to pass another car and he “thought she was going a little too fast,” according to court documents.
The backseat passenger, Ramey, said she and her children were in the back seat. She told police she had asked to see Hamilton’s license, and Hamilton said she didn’t have it on her. She said Hamilton was texting her boyfriend while driving “because he was upset Hamilton had his car and was so far away,” the court documents read.
She told police her 3-year-old was in a car seat and her 1-year-old daughter was in a rear facing car seat. On April 8, when police interviewed Hamilton, she said the children were not buckled into the seats.
She told police she had taken a friend to court, but hadn’t realized how far away Smethport was from Erie, and she didn’t know there would be children going. While she was driving back from court, she told police, “it was brought to my attention that I was needed back home.” She started passing cars when a vehicle that was coming at her was coming too fast, and she tried to avoid it, losing control of her car in the process, court documents read.
Police received medical records from Children’s Hospital that showed one child had bruising on the lobes of her brain with bleeding and seizure-like activity, according to court documents.
Accident reconstruction showed Hamilton’s car was traveling approximately 81 to 84 mph prior to the impact. The posted speed limit was 55 mph.
The charges have been filed at the office of District Judge Bill Todd in Smethport. Hamilton has yet to be arraigned.
