A Greene County woman pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter this week for fatally striking a motorcyclist after running a red light in Downtown Pittsburgh on a summer night in 2024.
According to a criminal complaint, Amy Robinson, 47, of Waynesburg, crashed a Ford F-150 truck into James Christopher’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the intersection of Boulevard of the Allies and Grant Street around 8:45 p.m. on July 14, 2024.
She was driving her daughter and a friend to volleyball camp when the crash occurred.
Paramedics rushed Christopher, who was driving on Grant Street when Robinson hit him in the intersection, to UPMC Mercy hospital in critical condition.
He died there three hours later.
Neither Robinson nor the two juvenile passengers were injured.
Attorney Christopher Blackwell, who represents Robinson, did not return a phone call or email Wednesday seeking comment.
After the accident, Robinson told police she “had the green light” and “slammed on her brakes, but didn’t see him until the last second,” the complaint said.
Surveillance cameras, however, showed Robinson’s light was red for about nine seconds before the crash, police said.
A computer inside Robinson’s truck also showed she didn’t hit the brakes until just before the crash, the complaint said. Robinson pushed down on the gas pedal during the five seconds before the crash, the Event Data Recorder indicated.
Robinson was not speeding above the 25-mph limit that night, police said. She was not wearing a seatbelt.
Robinson pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter and a summary charge of reckless driving, court records show.
Prosecutors withdrew three other charges — homicide by vehicle, which is a felony; failure to stop for a red light; and recklessly endangering another person.
Sentencing is set for April 15. State law says Robinson could face up to five years in prison.
