Judge rejects Scottdale man's appeal in Mother's Day crash

A judge on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Scottdale man convicted after severely injuring two parents and their two young children as the family drove to church on Mother’s Day in 2016.

Matthew Murphy, 29, asked that his conviction on assault and other offenses be overturned. Murphy claimed there was not enough evidence to support the jury verdict and alleged Westmoreland Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger erred by not allowing jurors to hear a defense claim that a sudden and uncontrolled seizure caused the crash.

Murphy was convicted of three felony counts of aggravated assault by vehicle and two misdemeanor charges of simple assault and reckless endangerment. Prosecutors claimed Murphy was speeding May 8, 2016, as his 2000 Dodge Ram slammed into the rear of William and Victoria Schuler’s Hyundai Elantra on Route 119.

The impact pushed the Scottdale family’s car forward and it spun into a concrete barrier into a grassy area and flipped on its roof.

All four family members were hospitalized. Police said Victoria Schuler and her husband did not wear seat belts and were thrown from the vehicle. Victoria Schuler suffered back and leg injuries, William Schuler suffered injuries including a damaged shoulder. Oldest son, Gavin, then 2, suffered permanent injuries.

Murphy was hospitalized after his truck skidded into the parking lot of a nearby shopping plaza. Witnesses said he was disoriented.

In a five-page opinion, Krieger said there was no basis for the appeal.

“As presented to the jury, the evidence was certainly sufficient to support a conclusion that the defendant suffered a concussion during the accident, which caused the symptoms that followed. In the court’s view the jury’s verdict does not represent a denial of justice against the weight of the evidence present at trial,” Krieger wrote.

Murphy was sentenced in October to serve 3 to 23 months in jail. He was paroled in late January, according to court records.