Victim of fatal Route 8 crash identified; driver charged in death
A man killed in a crash at the intersection of Route 8 and Litman Road on Tuesday, June 6, was identified by police, and a Mars woman was charged with homicide by vehicle in connection to his death.
The man killed was Kevin McAtee, 61, of Saxonburg. Police said he was a passenger in a Chevrolet Trailblazer which was struck by a Ford Fusion driven by Julie Parison, 51.
Though the incident remains under investigation, Butler Township police charged Parison with homicide by vehicle, DUI, reckless and careless driving, and driving at an unsafe speed on Wednesday, according to documents.
Parison’s arraignment is pending her release from a Pittsburgh hospital for injuries suffered in the crash, which crews responded to at 6:52 p.m. Tuesday.
Police said the crash occurred as Parison was driving south on Route 8. As she approached the Litman Road intersection, vehicles were stopped for a traffic light. Parison rear-ended the Trailblazer, driven by Karen Moore-McAtee, 53, of Saxonburg, with Kevin as the passenger.
The impact of the crash pushed the Trailblazer to the other side of the road, where it was struck by a northbound Chevrolet Malibu driven by Richard Bothell, 59, of Butler, according to documents.
Moore-McAtee was transported by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. Bothell and Parison were transported by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital, and Parison later was transferred to a Pittsburgh hospital.
The intersection of Route 8 and Litman Road was closed for several hours while police investigated.
Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, Butler Bureau of Fire, Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department, Butler Ambulance Service, Butler city police, state police and Penn Township police all responded to the scene.
