Fayette County EMS official accused of DUI, hit-and-run that left 1 severely injured

A Fayette County EMS manager severely injured a man in a hit-and-run crash while driving under the influence Saturday night, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Matthew McKnight, 47, of Connellsville is accused of smashing his pickup truck into the back of a minivan around 10:30 p.m. in Bullskin Township and fleeing the scene. He serves as assistant director of operations for Fayette County EMS, but was immediately suspended following his arrest, according to Chief Rick Adobato.

Police say the minivan, driven by James Blackburn, 76, of Connellsville was stopped in a left-turning lane at the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and East End Road when McKnight struck it “at a high rate of speed.” The impact pushed the minivan into another vehicle stopped ahead, which was being driven by Martin Halfhill, 67, also of Connellsville.

Blackburn, the minivan driver, was transported by helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where remained in critical condition as of Sunday.

State police say they later found McKnight’s truck at a nearby residence with heavy front-end damage, and he was taken into custody shortly after.

McKnight was charged Sunday with three felonies: aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, accidents involving death or personal injury and aggravated assault by vehicle. He was also charged with several summary traffic offenses.

In 2000, McKnight pleaded guilty to a DUI.

He is currently being held at the Fayette County Jail on $15,000 bond.

An attorney for McKnight was not listed in court documents. His preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 27.

Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele called the charges “very concerning and disappointing,” given McKnight’s position as a public safety official. “That will not, however, affect how we prosecute this matter,” Aubele said.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive staff writer. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com. Jack Troy is a TribLive staff writer. He can be reached at jtroy@triblive.com.