A police report said Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was at fault for the Sunday crash that sent him, his wife and the driver of the car he hit to the hospital, according to USA Today.
The senator’s vehicle struck the rear of a Chevrolet Impala at about 7:45 a.m. Sunday along Interstate 70 in western Maryland near the exit for I-68.
The outlet obtained a Maryland State Police crash report that said Fetterman, who was driving a Chevrolet Traverse, passed a witness on I-70 “at a high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit.” The speed limit is 70 mph.
No tests for alcohol or substance use were conducted in connection with the accident, the report said. No citations were given.
The senator, wife Gisele and the 62-year-old woman driving the other car were all transported to hospitals after the crash, which left both cars unable to be driven.
In a statement, Fetterman said, “This was an unfortunate accident and I’m relieved and grateful that there were no serious injuries. I need to do better and do it slower — and I will,” according to WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
You might have heard G and I were in a car accident yesterday. Thank you all for the well wishes.
Not the best way to spend our 16th wedding anniversary but we’re doing well and happy to be back home in Braddock with the family. pic.twitter.com/OKFmbUXtNF
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 10, 2024
A Thursday report in The Washington Post painted an unflattering picture of the senator’s driving, saying that in 2016 and again this year, he was cited for driving more than 24 miles over the speed limit, according to Pennsylvania records.
Is Fetterman fit for office?
In March, Fetterman was clocked going 34 miles per hour over the speed limit in Westmoreland County near Pittsburgh, the Post said.
The report said state rules require anyone caught driving 31 mph over a posted limit must attend Driver Improvement School.
Drivers who go that fast over the limit must either take a special driver’s examination or have their driving ability suspended for 15 days.
In 2016, Fettermann pled guilty to going 24 mph over the limit in northwestern Pennsylvania’s Warren County.
The Post cited unnamed aides saying the senator texts and uses FaceTime while he drives, leading to concerns about his driving and fears about riding with him.
The report also said Fetterman’s aides do not send him messages when they know he will be behind the wheel because they believe he will answer them while driving.
Fetterman called tales about his driving “gossip and inaccurate.”
The Post said his office would not respond to questions about whether he was distracted at the time of Sunday’s accident.
It said the accident report indicated the person who was struck was “not distracted,” but when it came to Fetterman, the report said whether he was distracted was “unknown.”
