Greensburg man arrested, charged in connection with hit-and-run of 76-year-old woman

The Greensburg man wanted in connection with a December hit-and-run in Greensburg that seriously injured a 76-year-old woman while she was crossing Main Street using a wheeled walker was jailed Friday night.

Christopher M. Degnan, 44, was charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, accidents involving injury and four summary counts in connection with the Dec. 28 incident. Degnan was arraigned before Youngwood District Judge Scott Fanchalsky and placed in the Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bond. He faces a preliminary hearing May 30 before Greensburg District Judge Chris Flanigan.

City police had been looking for Degnan and had called upon him to surrender to authorities. He ended being arrested without incident at his home.

“Just for the nature of the crime, the fact that he hit this person, an elderly woman that needed a walker for assistance, and just left her for dead, it’s very concerning, and we want him brought to justice,” Detective Sgt. Justin Scalzo said.

The woman was hospitalized after being found around 9:40 p.m. lying in the road at the intersection of South Main and Third streets. She had numerous fractures, including to her face, spine, head and arm.

She underwent six surgeries, police said, and spent a month in the hospital. She was transferred to a rehabilitation facility where police said she continues to recover.

Greensburg Detective Garret McNamara said in court papers that investigators quickly knew the make of vehicle that hit the woman because a turn signal housing compartment bearing the word “Honda” was part of the debris at the scene. They checked nearby video surveillance and reported that a white Honda CR-V traveled on Main Street at the time of the crash — all of its lights were on at 9:40 p.m. when it passed the courthouse, but 30 seconds later outside Citizens Bank, a block past the crash, the SUV’s lights were off.

The following day, police shut down part of South Main Street to look for more evidence. The intersection is lit by a street light.

On Dec. 30, a city officer on patrol spotted a Honda CR-V parked on Liberty Street in Greensburg with damage consistent with the crash. Degnan, who lives there, was identified as the owner and he told police he thought he hit a pothole, according to court papers. But they didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him then while the investigation continued with the help of the state police crash reconstruction team, Scalzo said.

Police searched the SUV on Jan. 4 and seized a piece of fiber from the hood and took swabs from a headlight assembly.

“Part of the victim’s clothing, some fabric from her clothing, was actually found on the passenger hood area of the vehicle,” Scalzo said.

Degnan did not show remorse, he said.

“You hit a person and you don’t stop and render aid,” Scalzo said. “You just drove around like she meant nothing.”

Degnan was released in August from one month of probation on a marijuana possession charge stemming from a February 2023 incident in Washington Township, according to court records.