Rostraver West Newton paramedic killed on I-70 remembered as dedicated, compassionate

A 14-year-old Matthew Smelser showed up three decades ago for a youth emergency medical explorer program in Connellsville. Greg Cominsky, a longtime area paramedic, knew right away that he was destined for a career helping people.

“Oh, Matt took an immediate interest in it. He was so eager, so dedicated and a perfectionist … even back then that you just knew he would make it his career,” said Cominsky, who was an instructor of the course at the now-defunct Liberty Ambulance Service.

Cominsky and co-workers at Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services on Monday mourned Smelser, 43, of Carroll Township. He was struck and killed about 5:30 a.m. Sunday by a tractor-trailer after he got out of his ambulance to tend to an accident victim along Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon.

Icy road conditions may have been a factor, state police said. The crash remains under investigation.

Smelser worked at the Rostraver ambulance service for 24 years, spending the past 20 as a supervisor.

“He was already supervisor here when I came to work here in 1996, and he was only in his 20s,” said Cominsky, the office manager. “If you were sick or down and needed treatment, Matt was the face you wanted to see.”

Grief counselors from multiple agencies were made available Sunday and Monday for the approximately 100 workers, mostly paramedics and emergency medical technicians, Cominsky said.

“We’re all still numb here. And we won’t be able to ever replace him,” he said. “In addition to being a co-worker, he was a close friend.”

Outside the ambulance station just off Route 201, co-workers set up a makeshift memorial for Smelser, who is survived by his wife, Lynn, and a young son, Logan, and a daughter, Adriana. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Marshall Marra Funeral Home in Monongahela.

One person paying her respects was Kathy Weaver, who said she felt compelled to pay tribute to Smelser at the memorial where a flag flew at half-staff and coworkers had placed candles, memorial flowers, his bulletproof emergency vest and emergency service jacket.

“Both my son and daughter are paramedics, and they always told me how awesome Matt was. He taught both of them,” Weaver said. “When he instructed them, he watched over them and let them do everything so they would learn to do it themselves when they are out on calls. He will definitely be missed by the entire community.”

Cominsky said he isn’t sure people realize how dangerous it is to respond to calls.

“There’s ever-present danger on numerous calls, and you really don’t know it until you respond to a call on the interstate with cars still flying past,” he said.

Smelser was the first employee at Rostraver to be killed in the line of duty, Cominsky said.

Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the commonwealth flag be flown at half-staff Monday and the day of interment to honor Smelser.

“Matthew Smelser’s death is a tragic reminder of the risk taken by emergency personnel across the state each day to rescue Pennsylvanians in distress,” Wolf said. “We need to do our part to exercise caution while traveling, especially during winter weather or when approaching the scene of an accident.”

In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report after studying the number of ambulance accidents from 1992-2011. It showed there are an estimated 6,500 accidents involving ambulances each year.

On average, the study showed 29 fatal ambulance accidents produce 33 fatalities each year.