Woman denied bail, charged with homicide and DUI in deadly Ross Township hit-and-run
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - A woman was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI in a fatal hit-and-run in Ross Township earlier this month.
Ross Township police said 39-year-old Erin Petroski turned herself in on Monday afternoon in connection with 31-year-old Elizabeth Griser's death.
Griser was hit and killed on Babcock Boulevard near Sheetz the night of Jan. 13.
Police said several people stopped to help but the driver kept on going.
According to the criminal complaint, police were able to track down the car involved by using traffic cameras and license plate readers.
While an officer was talking to Petroski, the criminal complaint said he noticed her eyes were glossed over and bloodshot. Investigators said Petroski's blood alcohol content was .110%.
Investigators say they learned from interviews that Petroski had been at Hal's Bar and Grill near the scene of the crash before the incident occurred.
Police said data from the time of the crash shows the vehicle was going almost 45 mph in a 35 mph zone while it was snowing and dark. The data showed brakes weren't used any time before the crash, police said.
"How can someone just leave a body laying on the side of the road, just like a dead animal?" Emily Vollberg, Griser's sibling, told KDKA-TV after the crash.
She was heading home from work and her brother Bobby Griser was picking her up at Sheetz. When 10 minutes went by and her phone went to voicemail twice, he knew something was wrong.
"I made that right, coming up towards Babcock, I looked, and I saw someone laying on the ground, and people were doing CPR," he said.
Then he saw the jacket the person was wearing.
"I said 'please, please don't let that be my sister,'" he said. He quickly pulled over and an officer confirmed his fear.
Petroski was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, accidents involving death, DUI and traffic violations.
Petroski was denied bail and will face a preliminary hearing next month.
Her defense attorney released this statement:
"We are still gathering information and evidence and want to complete that investigation. We have been in contact with the Ross Township Police Department since the incident and we will continue to work with them while we move forward."
"What we do know is that a young woman tragically lost her life and we are all saddened about that.
Had she known that was the case, she absolutely would have stopped."
Stay with KDKA-TV and KDKA.com for updates to this developing story as they become available.
