New Kensington Bridge construction worker charged in crash that injured motorcyclist

A Herminie man is facing felony aggravated assault charges stemming from a traffic accident last year in New Kensington.

Police on Tuesday filed charges against Matthew James Slobodnik, 24, in the crash that happened Aug. 10 at Ninth Street and Industrial Boulevard, which is the intersection just before the New Kensington Bridge.

Slobodnik was arraigned Thursday morning before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. and released on a recognizance bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13.

He is charged with a felony count of aggravated assault by vehicle, a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person and summary counts of reckless and careless driving, and failure to stop at a red signal.

The driver of the motorcycle, Darl Stuart McNutt, suffered a collapsed lung, head injury and fractures to his left clavicle, right ankle and ribs, according to a criminal complaint against Slobodnik. He has since been released from the hospital, police said.

Police declined to say whether Slobodnik was talking on his cellphone when the crash occurred, but an affidavit filed by police supporting the charges notes that his cellphone appeared to be in use at the time of the crash.

Slobodnik told police he was a construction worker working on the bridge, according to the complaint. Upon leaving the area after his shift, he told police he was driving on Industrial Boulevard toward the Parnassus area and was going through the intersection at Ninth Street when the collision happened.

Slobodnik did not show any signs of being impaired, the complaint said. He refused medical treatment and was allowed to leave.

The crash was recorded on two traffic cameras, according to police. One, on Industrial Boulevard, also captures part of Ninth Street. It shows Slobodnik’s pickup enter the middle of the intersection even though his traffic signal was red, and McNutt at the same time driving his motorcycle toward the Ninth Street bridge.

McNutt’s motorcycle hit the driver’s side of Slobodnik’s pickup, the complaint states. McNutt, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown into the air and landed in the middle of the intersection.

Police obtained a search warrant for Slobodnik’s cellphone records. A call was made 16 seconds before the collision, and a second was made about five minutes after the crash, the complaint states.

A mechanical inspection of Slobodnik’s pickup did not find anything that would have prevented the vehicle from stopping, the complaint states.

His attorney, Phil DiLucente, called the wreck an accident. He described Slobodnik as an upstanding young man with extremely good character.

“It’s hard for him to go through what he’s going through now,” DiLucente said. “I can’t explain why he was charged other than the investigation produced something. I don’t know what that something is at this time. We’ll look forward to having a thorough preliminary hearing.”

DiLucente said his client plans to plead not guilty to the charges.