Murrysville officer escapes serious injury after patrol vehicle struck by DUI driver, troopers say

A Murrysville police officer escaped serious injury over the weekend after the marked patrol vehicle he was driving was rear-ended on Old William Penn Highway by a DUI driver, according to state police.

Troopers reported Murrysville police Sgt. James Chafin was stopped, sitting in a marked 2019 Ford Explorer conducting a traffic detail just before 3 a.m. Saturday in the vicinity of Old William Penn Highway at Route 22 when the police vehicle was struck from behind by a 2020 Honda sedan driven by Megan L. Weber, 28, of Plum.

According to police reports, the police SUV had its emergency and flood lights activated to warn drivers of a small landslide that had run onto a portion of the roadway.

Murrysville police reported that when Weber was questioned, she smelled of alcohol, could not recall how the crash occurred and “needed assistance walking.” Police reported that Weber told officers she had been drinking at an area bar prior to the crash.

She was arrested at the scene for suspicion of DUI and agreed to a forensic blood analysis at the police station. Court documents said her blood/alcohol level was more than .16 percent, or more than twice the legal limit for driving under the influence in Pennsylvania, according to court documents.

Police reports said neither Weber or Chafin were taken to the hospital, but were examined at the scene by paramedics.

Weber was charged via mailed summons.