PITTSBURGH — The driver in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood was in court Wednesday, where he waived his preliminary hearing and will stand trial.
Kyle O'Connor, 21, hit and killed 26-year-old Jessica McChesney in June at the intersection of Baum Boulevard and Morewood Avenue as she was leaving a friend’s party. He drove away from the scene and was arrested several days later, having been identified through surveillance video and witnesses who came forward.
Police said O'Connor admitted that he had been in the South Side before the accident and drank at least eight beers.
“If you want to draw a conclusion as to his alcohol level based upon that, you can. Having handled many DUI cases over 24-and-a-half years, he simply wasn’t drunk,” Robert Mielnicki, O'Connor’s attorney, said.
Mielnicki claims that the crash was not O'Connor’s fault.
“He will continue to be fully cooperative with the police and the deceased’s family. This is tragic all the way around. He left the scene, but my preliminary indications are this was unavoidable. In other words, this is not his fault,” Mielnicki said.
O'Connor will be arraigned in September in common pleas court.
Cox Media Group
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