Bowie woman charged after running stop sign and leaving scene of crash that left dirt bike rider with brain injuries
Lancaster, PA – The scene at South Lime and Dauphin streets unfolded like a single, terrible moment: a vehicle blew through a stop sign shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 and struck a dirt bike rider, who was thrown from the motorcycle and later suffered bleeding in the brain as a result of the collision.
Prosecutors say 33-year-old Priscilla Nicole Velazquez of the 300 block of South Penn Street in York City ran the stop sign, crashed head-on into the rider, and then drove away without rendering aid. Lancaster Safety Coalition surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the vehicle failing to stop at the intersection, the impact, and the driver stopping a few blocks later to check for damage before continuing to leave the scene.
Velazquez waived her preliminary hearing before Judge Jonathan Heisse on Oct. 8, allowing the case to proceed to Lancaster County Court. She faces two counts of accidents involving death or personal injury and three summary traffic offenses. At the time of the crash Velazquez’s license was suspended, and court records show 14 prior instances of driving without a license. Officer Steven Nusca of the Lancaster City Bureau of Police filed the charges.
Velazquez posted $50,000 bail and is currently free pending further court action. Victim condition updates were not included in the charging documents. The case file notes that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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Key Points
- Priscilla Nicole Velazquez waived a preliminary hearing and will face county court on crash and hit-and-run charges
- Surveillance video shows the vehicle run a stop sign, strike the dirt bike rider, then stop blocks away before leaving the scene
- Velazquez had a suspended license at the time of the crash and posted $50,000 bail