Mother charged in crash that killed 6-year-old son
A Washington woman was arrested Thursday by state police on charges including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of a controlled substance in connection with a crash that killed her 6-year-old son on Interstate 70 in Buffalo Township two years ago.
State police said Crystal Lashea Rush, 25, of Washington, reportedly had Vicodin in her system June 4, 2014, when she crashed her Jeep Grand Cherokee as she drove west on the highway just east of the Taylorstown exit. Her son, Dominic, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rush was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment. Police also learned, after obtaining a search warrant for her medical records, she admitted to a history of narcotics abuse and that she had taken seven Vicodin pills on the day of the crash.
Rush was driving in the left lane when her vehicle went into the median and overturned several times, according to the affidavit filed last month by Trooper Vincent Borello at the office of District Judge Ethan Ward. Rush and her son were ejected from the vehicle. She was found in the median while the boy was pinned under the roof of the vehicle.
Rush reportedly told a state police corporal at the scene she was driving the Jeep but did not know who was with her or where her children were. The corporal noticed she was confused and disoriented. Rush also started to cry as he ended the interview.
Trooper Todd Stephenson, an accident reconstruction specialist, along with a state police automotive supervisor, inspected the Jeep. The inspection showed the rear tires of the vehicle had worn treads. Stephenson also determined the speed at which she was traveling was unsafe considering the rain combined with the tire conditions.
A child safety seat was found in the back behind the driver’s seat but was either improperly restrained or not at all, according to court documents. The seat was manufactured in 2006 and overdue for replacement based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, police said. Records also showed Rush was driving with a suspended license.
Rush is also charged with homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death or personal injury while not properly license, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, driving without a license and with a suspended license, failure to properly restrain the passenger as well as equipment and traffic violations.
She was arraigned Thursday afternoon before District Judge Robert Redlinger and placed in Washington County jail on $100,000 bond. Rush is scheduled for a June 23 preliminary hearing on the charges before Ward.