Woman Drove Without Brakes In Crash That Killed Lower Merion Firefighter: DA

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — Charges filed against a New Jersey woman in connection with the death of a Lower Merion firefighter have been upgraded, authorities said Tuesday.

Jacqueline Walker, 63, of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, had new charges, including third-degree murder, filed against her after authorities allege she struck and killed Lower Merion Firefighter Thomas Royds in July.

Walker is now charged with third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, four counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, nine counts of recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving and related charges.

Authorities withdrew homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence charge after toxicology tests showed Walker’s blood contained no alcohol or drugs and investigations showed she knowingly drove her vehicle with only one working brake at the time of the crash.

The new charges come after the Pennsylvania State Police and Montgomery County Detective Bureau joint investigation of the crash and Walker’s behavior leading up to it revealed new information.

Walker is accused of striking Royds, killing him, as well as two other Lower Merion firefighters, Alex Fischer and Sam Shaffer, while driving under the influence at about 3:23 a.m. on July 24 on Interstate 76 west between the Gladwyne and Conshohocken exits.

Royds, Fischer, and Shaffer were responding to a two-car crash on the highway when the fatal incident occurred.

The two cars were on the berm of the highway, while the fire truck—with all of its emergency lights activated— was parked in the right-hand travel lane and the marked State Police vehicle was in the same lane in front of the fire truck.

There were orange cones in place behind the fire truck that directed traffic into the left-hand travel lane of I-76. Responders were on the paved roadway and the berm between the fire truck and the two cars involved in the original crash. Vehicles were moving through the emergency response area at about 10 miles per hour in the left-hand travel lane.

At 3:23 a.m., the Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Walker, was travelling in the right-hand travel lane as she approached the emergency response area, then drove over the rumble strips that mark the travel lane and berm, drove on the berm and struck at a high rate of speed into Royds, Fischer, and Shaffer. Her vehicle then squarely hit the rear-end of one of the previously crashed vehicles, driving her Jeep’s front end into the Nissan’s trunk and pushing both cars 30 feet before coming to a stop.

An investigation and reconstruction of the crash found that Walker's Jeep was in poor condition overall with severe rusting and other deficits. Authorities said three of the four brakes on the Jeep were not functional, and previous records and evidence revealed that she knew about the brake system deficit, yet she declined to fix the brakes and continued to drive the vehicle.

Additionally, there was no evidence of any pre-impact evasive steering by Walker. Rather, she continued to drive straight into and through the firefighters and state trooper, ultimately colliding with the black Nissan Altima.

The crash investigation determined that the overall poor condition of her vehicle and the continued operation of this vehicle with the failing condition of the brake system was a major contributing factor to the crash that killed Royds and injured the other first responders.

Walker is at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and was denied bail.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14.