Trending
PARKERSBURG -- The driver of a car that struck and killed a WVU Medicine Camden Clark employee on Garfield Avenue on Sunday has been charged with reckless driving.
Ryan Colin White, 37, of 319 Mineral Manor Way, Parkersburg, turned himself in to Parkersburg Police on Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Joe Martin said. He was arraigned on the reckless driving charge and two other misdemeanor counts -- no insurance and driving too fast for conditions -- in Wood County Magistrate Court and released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond.
David Michael Burchard, 59, of Harrisville, was pronounced dead at the Camden Clark emergency room shortly after being hit by White's 2013 Nissan Maxima around 8:09 p.m. Sunday.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court, crash data pulled from the vehicle showed White was driving in the far right lane at 57 mph in an area where the speed limit is 40 mph. The area has markings indicating it is a pedestrian crossing and two cautionary yellow 30 mph warning signs, the complaint notes.
Martin said more serious charges were not filed after consultation with the Wood County Prosecutor's Office, who referenced a recent case in the state Supreme Court.
"This event was not intentional, therefore it did not rise to the level of a negligent homicide charge," he said.
Burchard was in the midst of his shift at the hospital and was walking between the main building and Medical Office Building B when he was struck.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.