Pittsburgh woman pleads guilty to traffic violations in crash that killed boy, 6, on bike
A Pittsburgh woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to low-level traffic violations stemming from an accident two years ago in which she struck and killed a 6-year-old boy.
Jamel Austin, who had been riding his bike in the city’s Glen Hazel neighborhood, was killed on July 26, 2022.
Rhonda Wood, 65, of Hazelwood had been visiting her father a couple of blocks away, her attorney said, when she struck Jamel in the 700 block of Johnston Avenue just after 8 p.m.
Pittsburgh police initially charged Wood with homicide by vehicle, a felony, and involuntary manslaughter, after witnesses told police that she failed to stop her 2015 Buick Enclave at a stop sign on the street.
Police also said Wood had received a cell phone call at 8:18 p.m. that lasted one minute. The crash was called in to 911 one second after that call ended.
However, defense attorney Michael Machen filed a motion seeking dismissal of the charges, arguing that police could not prove the crash was caused by the alleged stop sign violation or distracted driving.
The prosecution conceded it did not have adequate evidence to proceed on the charges, and Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander P. Bicket granted the defense motion in April.
On Tuesday, Wood appeared before the court to plead guilty to two summary traffic violations — careless driving and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Bicket ordered the defendant to pay a total of $325 in fines.
Jamel’s mother did not attend Tuesday’s hearing, but the prosecution said she consented to the plea agreement.
Machen told the court his client had no prior arrests and is a church-going woman who thinks about Jamel daily.
Video from Pittsburgh Regional Transit cameras in the area at the time of the crash showed Wood cradling Jamel in the street just after the crash, Machen said.
Wood spoke briefly to the court.
“I have great remorse,” she said. “I pray for the family. My heart is broken. This was an accident.
“I’m sorry.”
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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