Somerset County man charged with DUI in 2019 Ligonier Township crash that killed bicyclist

Eighteen months after a bicyclist from Hempfield was struck and killed by a car atop Laurel Mountain summit on Route 30, Ligonier Valley police arrested the car’s driver on charges of homicide by vehicle and being under the influence of multiple prescription pills, according to court records.

Adam W. Ulrich, 42, of Boswell was arraigned on multiple charges filed by Ligonier Valley police in connection with the Oct. 1, 2019, crash that killed Jason R. Zollinger, 38.

Those include driving under the influence, driving under the influence of controlled substances, homicide by vehicle, improper passing, driving an unregistered vehicle and reckless driving.

Zollinger was a project manager for Bank of New York Mellon, a Saint Vincent College graduate and an avid bicyclist. He was pedaling up Laurel Mountain at about 9:15 a.m. when, according to police, he was struck from behind by Ulrich’s 2006 Chevrolet Malibu.

Police officer Michael Matrunics alleges that a blood analysis after the crash showed Ulrich had a combination of methadone, a synthetic opioid painkiller commonly used to treat heroin addiction; clonazepam, an anti-convulsant pill used to treat panic attacks; and Xanax, a prescription pill used to treat anxiety.

Matrunics reported that when police Chief John Berger spoke with Ulrich at the scene “Ulrich began to fall asleep” during the conversation.

In an interview with police after the crash, Matrunics reported that Ulrich said he had run out of gas on his way to a methadone clinic, visited a friend after the clinic and was headed back to Boswell eastbound when he struck Zollinger’s bicycle from behind on top of the summit at Westmoreland County’s border with Somerset.

A female driver who telephoned 911 to report the crash said Ulrich had left the scene but was returning as she reported the accident. Police reports said Ulrich’s car had a smashed front windshield and damaged headlight.

The witness told investigators that Ulrich told her he initially thought he had struck a deer, which he had done while driving the route one week earlier.

Matrunics said in court documents that accident reconstructionists reported that on the highway section where the crash occurred “Ulrich could have steered to the left of Zollinger and stayed within his own lane of travel with room to spare.…”

Matrunics also said in police reports that just the methadone dosage that was found in Ulrich’s blood system was capable of “impairing this person’s cognitive faculties and motor skills necessary to operate a motor vehicle on the highway.”

About three weeks after the crash, Zollinger’s family, friends and fellow bicycling enthusiasts gathered near the scene of a crash for a seven-mile “Ghost Ride” in memory of Zollinger.

They also have established a scholarship in his memory at Saint Vincent College.

Zollinger’s father, Robert, of Greensburg, acknowledged he’s been scanning the criminal court dockets for months anxiously awaiting police to file criminal charges.

“Yes, I’m am glad the charges are filed,” Zollinger said. “He drove away from the scene.

”Better late than never, but again, I am happy they were filed,” Zollinger said.

Ulrich was released on $25,000 recognizance bond pending a preliminary hearing June 2.

He could not be reached for comment.