Lower Burrell woman ordered to stand trial on charges stemming from fiery Tarentum Bridge crash

An attorney representing a Lower Burrell woman who crashed her car in a work zone on the closed Tarentum Bridge in June tried to argue Wednesday there was no proof she was drunk at the time of the crash.

Brackenridge District Judge Carolyn Bengel didn’t buy defense attorney Tom McKinley’s argument at a preliminary hearing for Allison Plusquellic. Bengel ordered Plusquellic, 40, to stand trial on all of the charges against her, which include driving under the influence, criminal mischief and several summary traffic offenses.

Police said that on June 19, when the lanes of the bridge from New Kensington to Tarentum were closed for construction, Plusquellic drove past warning signs about 9:30 p.m. and crashed into construction equipment. Her car, a Mitsubishi Eclipse, subsequently caught fire.

Police said she walked away from the scene, first going to the nearby Marathon gas station and then walking toward Nick Chevrolet, where police apprehended her.

McKinley argued for the DUI charge to be dismissed because, he claimed, prosecutors did not prove Plusquellic was intoxicated before or when she was driving the car. He noted the time that passed between the crash, when she was seen at the gas station, and when a police officer found her.

McKinley said Plusquellic could have drank alcohol after the crash, which he said could effect a person within five to 10 minutes.

“We don’t know what she was like when she crashed this car,” he said.

Tarentum officer Matthew Kaminski testified during the hearing police initially were dispatched for an explosion on the bridge. He found the Eclipse crashed into construction equipment and on fire, with the driver’s door open and no one around.

Kaminski said there was debris on the bridge for 75 to 100 yards, and that the car’s right front tire was missing.

Kaminski testified borough surveillance cameras captured headlights on the closed side of the bridge, followed by a burst of flame. The video was not shown during Wednesday’s hearing.

He testified that four minutes later, a woman with blonde hair is seen limping across the bridge to the Marathon parking lot. Plusquellic had her blonde hair in a pony tail during Wednesday’s hearing.

Kaminski testified the only other video was from police dashboard cameras and would be available for trial. He said the car was owned by Plusquellic’s husband, who told police she had been driving it.

Marathon cashier Ashley Jackson testified Plusquellic appeared “extremely intoxicated” when she entered the store, slurring her words and stumbling.

Jackson testified Plusquellic said she had just crashed her car and did not want to get a DUI, and asked if she could wait in the store. Jackson said she told Plusquellic she had to go back to the scene.

Tarentum police Officer Charles Lutz testified he knew Plusquellic from past encounters. He testified he was looking for a white woman involved in the crash on the bridge when he found Plusquellic in front of Nick Chevrolet.

Lutz testified Plusquellic was showing signs of heavy alcohol intoxication including red, bloodshot and glassy eyes; slurred speech; and stumbling. She also smelled of alcohol, he testified.

Lutz testified Plusquellic told him “there were no signs.”

Brackenridge Officer Cynthia Busch said she went to Tarentum’s police station to help with searching Plusquellic. While trying to make “small talk” with Plusquellic, Busch testified Plusquellic was crying and said she loved her car, which she identified as a 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

Plusquellic complained of an injury at Tarentum’s police station and was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, Lutz testified.

He said Plusquellic left the hospital before police could attempt to get a blood sample.

Damage to the construction equipment was estimated at more than $200,000. While there had been concern the damage would delay the reopening of that side of the bridge, the lanes opened June 27, as scheduled.

Plusquellic remains free on her own recognizance. The date of her next court hearing was not immediately available.