MCVEYTOWN, Pa. — A Mifflin County man has been charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI and numerous other offenses after State Police claim he was driving under the influence of Oxycodone when his vehicle struck and killed a road worker on July 11, 2023 in Wayne Township.
Gary Lee Sechrist, 71, of McVeytown, is charged with three other felonies, six misdemeanors, and 11 summary offenses in connection to the crash, which claimed the life of Dwayne Grove and injured another worker on Route 522 South, according to State Police.
Sechrist's vehicle was traveling at least 57mph just before it struck Grove and the second victim, Michael Davis, while traveling through a posted road work area with a speed limit of 35mph, according to the State Police Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist Unit, which investigated the incident.
Workers at the scene told police that Sechrist's vehicle was "flying" toward the work zone when it went into the shoulder of the road to pass a tractor trailer truck that was slowing as it approached the scene. Sechrist's vehicle nearly struck the guard rail on the shoulder before swerving back onto the road, through a group of cones that were in place to close the northbound lane, and through the work zone, where it struck the two workers.
Davis, who was working as a flagman at the scene, later told police he managed to leap out of the car's path, but suffered an injury to his left arm.
One witness said Sechrist was "driving like a lunatic" prior to the crash and traveled through the closed-down area of the construction zone before hitting the two workers. The witness said she never saw an indication that Sechrist used his brakes when he struck the workers.
After striking the workers, police claim, Sechrist did not stop at the scene to render aid, instead continuing to his home about a half-mile down the road, where he parked his vehicle.
Police found him lying on the front porch of his home, receiving medical treatment from EMTs. He allegedly told police he "knew he had hit something" but wasn't sure what, and claimed he did not remember driving through a construction zone. Sechrist allegedly told police he had a "splitting headache" and took two Oxycodone pills before driving and another when he arrived at his home, according to investigators.
Police noted Sechrist was speaking in a "low, raspy" tone and was unable to concentrate during his initial interview with investigators at the scene. He also exhibited other signs of impairment, including slow reactions and reflexes, police claim.
A passenger in Sechrist's vehicle told investigators they were returning from a doctor's appointment before the crash, according to police. She said they saw cars stopped in the southbound lane of Route 522 and Sechrist swerved to avoid hitting them, but did not remember striking any people or construction vehicles.
In a second interview with police conducted at a local hospital, Sechrist allegedly said he attempted to brake as he went through the work zone, but was unable to do so because a mud flap was in the way and inhibited his ability to apply the brake. As he approached the workers, Sechrist said, he swerved to the right in an attempt to avoid them but was unsuccessful, police claim.
An inspection of Sechrist's vehicle indicated there were no mechanical issues present, police said.
A toxicology report on Sechrist indicated he had 27ng/mg of Oxycodone in his blood at the time of the blood draw, according to the complaint.
Sechrist is charged with felony counts of homicide by vehicle while DUI, accidents involving death or personal injury, and homicide by vehicle, misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and 11 summary traffic offenses.
He is being held in Mifflin County Jail after failing to post bail of $100,000, according to court records.
