The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office could decide later this month if it will pursue criminal charges against a Philadelphia woman who struck and fatally injured a 17-year-old Bensalem boy in November.
Bensalem Director of Public Safety Fred Harran on Thursday said that his department has forwarded its investigation findings involving the accident that killed Ryan Viola and is awaiting the DA’s decision.
Ryan, a senior at Bucks County Technical High School, died Nov. 30, one day after being struck by a car Nov. 29 while walking to his school bus stop at Bensalem Boulevard and Portside Drive.
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| Ryan Viola |
The driver who struck Viola, identified as Lisa Ann Murray, 54, of the 5500 block of Torresdale Avenue, has a suspended Pennsylvania driver’s license and an expired Ohio license, police said.
A preliminary investigation shows Murray had a green light and stopped after striking Ryan, who was crossing Bensalem Boulevard against the traffic light. He was in a marked crosswalk headed to his bus stop shortly before 6:30 a.m.
The posted speed limit on that part of Bensalem Boulevard is 40 mph. No crossing guard is assigned there until 6:45 a.m., and police said crossing guards usually aren’t on duty for high school students.
Police had no information about why Murray’s license was suspended and PennDOT doesn’t reveal suspension information, citing confidentiality laws. Police do not know if she had been cited previously for driving on a suspended license.
In Pennsylvania, driving with a suspended or revoked license is a summary offense, similar to a traffic ticket. But habitual offenders risk higher fines, mandatory jail time, PennDOT penalties and difficulty finding car insurance once a license is restored.
Last year, police issued more than 3,700 citations for driving while under suspension or revocation in Bucks County and more than 6,200 in Montgomery County, according to data from Pennsylvania State Police. A large number of those drivers had been cited two or more times.
Ryan was an honor student at the tech school, where he was in the electrical occupations program. The school will host a 5K run/walk Jan. 13 in Ryan’s memory with proceeds going toward funding a scholarship in his name.
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| Ryan Viola's parent at a candlelight vigil in December |
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
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