Woman who killed motorist in 2014 while distracted now accused of being high with child in car, causing wreck

A West Deer woman who admitted to killing a man when she hit his disabled car along Route 28 in 2014 is now accused of being high on fentanyl and cocaine when she caused a head-on collision in late May while driving her child to school.

Rachel Rebecca Bailie, 32, of Crest Street was charged by summons Tuesday with endangering the welfare of children and three drug charges along with three traffic citations. She was ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Tom Swan on Sept. 6, court records show.

In 2014, state police arrested Bailie in connection with a crash that July along Route 28 that led to the death of John P. Jaycox, 62, of Harrison.

Jaycox was paralyzed in the crash and died about seven months later.

Investigators said Bailie got onto the highway and was traveling southbound when she was distracted by her 1- and 5-year-old children in the vehicle.

Police said Bailie’s Chevy Tahoe slammed into Jaycox while he was sitting on the trunk of his 1988 Cutlass parked along the berm waiting for help to change a tire.

In October 2016, Bailie pleaded guilty in Allegheny County Court to a felony count of causing a crash resulting in injury or death along with three traffic citations. She was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to undergo drug and alcohol treatment.

The May incident

West Deer police charged Bailie in connection with a May 22 two-vehicle crash along Saxonburg Boulevard near McKrell Road.

Responding officers said both vehicles sustained heavy damage when Bailie crossed the center lines and hit a car coming from the opposite direction.

The woman driving the other vehicle told police that she tried swerving to avoid the crash, but Bailie was driving fast and hit her on the front and driver side, according to a criminal complaint.

The woman complained of shoulder pain from the seat belt but declined medical treatment.

Police said there were no skid marks to indicate whether Bailie, whose child was in the car, had tried to brake before the crash.

Bailie’s sister went to the scene to take Bailie’s child to school after investigators checked to make sure the child was uninjured, the complaint said.

Police said Bailie suffered a bloody mouth in the crash and was experiencing emotional distress when they questioned her.

She told them she couldn’t recall how the wreck happened and told an officer that she uses Suboxone, which is prescribed to help fight opioid addiction, the complaint said. She said the last time she took the drug was the previous night, police said.

Bailie agreed to allow blood to be drawn so it could be checked for the presence of drugs or alcohol in her system after an officer found drug paraphernalia in her vehicle, the complaint said.

An empty hypodermic needle was found in the cup holder when Bailie told the officer to retrieve her license, registration and insurance information from the vehicle, police said.

Four stamp bags of suspected heroin labeled “Hellcat” were found in the vehicle, along with other drug paraphernalia, police said.

Bailie also had track marks and bruising on both arms caused by drugs being injected, the complaint said.

The blood test revealed that Bailie had cocaine and fentanyl in her system at the time of the crash, according to the complaint.