PENN HILLS, Pa. — A Penn Hills man is trying to put the pieces of his life back together after a devastating crash that nearly killed him. Witnesses say the other driver involved did not stop.
The victim’s family contacted 11 Investigates’ Jatara McGee for help when they could not get answers from police.
Rasheem Farmer, 31, was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition after the crash on Steubenville Pike in Robinson Township late May.
On the football field, Farmer is a force to be reckoned with — or at least he was. He played semi-professional football for the Steel City Bobcats. He was a captain this past season and played both offense and defense.
But no level of training could have prepared Farmer for what hit him in May. He was badly injured after being thrown from his motorcycle.
Cellphone video from a witness shows him lying motionless on the ground as bystanders try to save him.
Medics rushed him to the hospital. He was bleeding from the head and suffered several brain bleeds, broken bones, and broken ribs, according to his family.
“I had a hole in my face, and I had a hole in the back of my head,” Farmer said. “I don’t remember anything.”
“When I went back there to see him, didn’t even look like him,” Farmer’s mom Renita Jackson said, choking up as she recalled the evening of the crash.
She said she nearly collapsed when she saw what her son looked like in the hospital bed.
“They didn’t know when he was gonna wake up. They said it could take three months, six months, six months to a year,” Jackson said.
Farmer was in a coma for 35 days and spent another month in the hospital, followed by time at a rehabilitation facility.
Now he’s living in a body he hardly recognizes. He can’t get out of bed on his own and relies on a wheelchair to get around his home.
“I almost died,” he said, seemingly still trying to grasp that information.
The crash happened at the intersection of Steubenville Pike and Lorish Road. It was around 4 p.m. on May 26.
Farmer was driving eastbound on Steubenville Pike. The SUV was in the westbound turn lane.
A witness described a motorcycle getting “clipped” by an SUV.
According to a police report, citing video from a Tesla, “the gray SUV is seen making a left-hand turn in front of his motorcycle. It is unclear in the video if the two vehicles make contact, but you can see Farmer lay his motorcycle down.”
Witnesses said the SUV then drove off.
According to witness accounts from dispatch reports, Farmer had “labored breathing” and blood coming from his mouth and nose.
The police report identified the driver as 78-year-old Patricia Opferman.
In August, Jackson told 11 Investigates, “She ain’t been charged, nothing. Because the DA is backed up. That’s what the police told me.”
11 Investigates repeatedly contacted Robinson Township Police and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office over several weeks.
Calls, emails and an in-person visit to the police department all went unanswered.
Last week, more than three months after the crash, a misdemeanor charge of accidents involving death or personal injury was filed against Opferman. 11 Investigates reached out to her for comment but did not hear back.
As of Wednesday, the victim’s family had not been notified about the charges.
It is not clear why felony charges were not filed, given the serious injuries Farmer suffered and the fact that the other driver left the scene, according to witnesses.
Farmer’s life looks completely different after the crash.
“I promised my family I’m gonna walk again,” he said.
He remains in a wheelchair for now. He could lose his career as a mechanic. His football career is over. Doctors told him that even if he is physically able to play one day, it is not safe due to the injuries he suffered to his head. His plans of proposing to and marrying his girlfriend are on hold for now.
He still is not sure how he is going to pay for the mortgage on the home he proudly purchased two years ago.
Farmer’s coworker set up a GoFundMe page to help support him while he remains unable to work.
While he’s grateful to be alive, he admits the loss of independence has been devastating.
“You said this driver ruined your life?” McGee asked.
“Yeah,” Farmer said.
“That’s really how you feel?” McGee asked again.
“Yes. … Look at me now. Look at what I used to be, and look at me now.”
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