Penn State student charged in fatal crash is bound over for trial
.jpeg "A crash on U.S. Route 322 eastbound near the State College exit on Sept. 12 led to the death of a Bellefonte man. A Penn State student is set to face trial for allegedly causing the crash.")
A Penn State student who lost control of her vehicle and allegedly caused the crash that killed a Bellefonte man in September is set for trial.
At Nailah Oliver’s preliminary hearing Wednesday, her attorney, Julian Allatt, called the incident a tragedy and senseless loss of life, but argued Oliver’s speed was not the direct cause of the crash. Robert Bloom, 47, died after the head-on collision on the Mount Nittany Expressway.
State College police Detective David Scicchitano said Oliver was driving westbound on U.S. Route 322 at about 7:45 a.m. when she lost control of her 2001 Chevrolet Malibu, crossed the grassy median and struck Bloom’s Ford Focus head-on as he was driving westbound with his 15-year-old son.
Bloom was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of blunt force trauma. His son was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Frank Gaus Jr., a Pennsylvania state police collision analysis and reconstruction expert, testified Oliver was traveling 84 mph five seconds before the crash and was depressing the accelerator 58 percent one second before the crash.
He also testified Oliver didn’t brake in the eight seconds before the crash.
“In this case, the status meant that the brake was not being applied,” Gaus testified.
Though she didn’t apply the brake, her vehicle’s speed decreased 32 mph in the seconds before the crash. Gaus attributed the decrease to her crossing the median and Scicchitano testified there were “no marks on the asphalt at all.”
“The marks in the median were not deceleration marks, but were turning marks,” Scicchitano testified. “In my opinion, she was trying to get to her (8 a.m.) class and was pushing it.”
Oliver wasn’t texting and neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor, according to Scicchitano. He also said Oliver’s inspection and emission stickers were stolen.
District Judge Allen Sinclair bound Oliver over for trial on one felony count of homicide by vehicle, one misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter, two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and eight summary charges.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 3:37 PM.