Guilty Verdict Reached In Glenside Man's Fatal DUI Case: Report

GLENSIDE, PA — A Glenside man was found guilty of fatally striking a woman with his vehicle while he was under the influence of multiple substances in 2021.

Main Line Media News reports a jury convicted Michael J. Petrocik, 64, on charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of controlled substances, homicide by vehicle, and DUI.

He will be sentenced later this year.

Petrocik struck and killed Mary T. Duffy, 61, at about noon on Dec. 29, 2001 along the 3000 block of Philmont Avenue in the Huntingdon Valley section of Lower Moreland Township.

Duffy was walking her dog when an Audi driven by Petrocik failed to navigate a turn, left the roadway, crossed a berm and a grassy area and crashed into Duffy, knocking the woman into a pole, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

"The investigation determined that the Audi was traveling between 45 and 48 mph in a 35-mph zone before the crash, and that the defendant failed to react through the entire event, as crash video that had been captured by a nearby business's surveillance camera showed no evidence of the Audi's brakes being engaged," states a DA's Office news release.

After striking Duffy, Petrocik continued across an asphalt driveway and a yard before hitting a stone wall and launching airborne before coming to a rest, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said that lab testing revealed that Petrocik was under the influence of multiple substances at the time of the crash.

A police criminal complaint in the case states that Petrocik appeared impaired when questioned by Lower Moreland police at the scene and that the defendant reportedly admitted to officers that he was on prescription medication and that he said he couldn't recall what happened at the time of the crash.

A forensic toxicology report subsequently showed that Petrocik had Valium in his system along with THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana; Prozac; Wellbutrin; and other substances, according to the criminal complaint.

When Lower Moreland police arrived at the accident scene, they found Duffy lying on the sidewalk and saw the Audi stopped approximately 164 feet away from Duffy, according to the DA's Office.

Duffy was subsequently transported to Abington Hospital's Trauma Center where she underwent emergency surgery but was later pronounced dead.

Duffy's dog survived the accident.