Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)

Man arrested in fatal hit-and-run

- By Marian Dennis mdennis@21st-centurymed­ia. com @MarianDenn­is1 on Twitter

POTTSTOWN >> Authoritie­s have arrested a man who allegedly left the scene of a fatal accident on Route 100 earlier this month.

Police have charged Adam Timbario, 28, of Gilbertsvi­lle after he allegedly fled the scene following an accident that resulted in the death of 24-year-old Donald Purnell.

On March 3 at 7:54 p.m., Purnell had been on his way to his job at Wendy’s when he crossed Route 100 on foot, just south of Shoemaker Road. Purnell had crossed the northbound lanes of the street as well as the painted medium when he entered the left southbound lane. He was then struck by a Ford pickup truck driven by Timbario, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

Timbario then left the scene without stopping, police allege. Witnesses to the accident told police the truck struck Purnell and did not slow down as it proceeded down Route 100.

Following the initial crash, the victim was struck again by a second vehicle, the driver of which had not seen the victim lying on the road. The driver stopped the vehicle immediatel­y and remained on scene until police arrived. Police said the driver cooperated with police during the investigat­ion.

Upon arrival, police found Purnell trapped under a 2008 Hyundai and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was performed the following day and Purnell’s cause of death was determined to be multiple injuries as a result of the crash. Police were informed by forensic pathologis­ts that the initial impact would have led to Purnell’s death.

Police were informed later that day that Timbario had contacted a potential buyer for the Ford XLT. The buyer told police that

Timbario had offered to sell the vehicle for $4,500. The buyer said he looked at the truck on March 2 while it was parked in Gilbertsvi­lle. When the buyer left Thursday

night with no deal, Timbario contacted him Friday March 3 between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. to tell him the truck had been in an accident on Route 100. Timbario then offered to lower the price of the vehicle to $1,800 and sent photograph­s, police said. The two agreed to meet the following

Saturday morning at 1200 E. High St.

During the meeting, Timbario explained that the damage was caused by a tire that came over the median and slammed into the hood. Timbario accepted when the buyer offered $1,500 for the truck.

The truck was then

driven by Timbario to Deep Creek Road to be looked at for repairs. By 5:55 p.m., the buyer was notified by his repair person about the fatal crash and the ongoing search for a truck with front end damage. The buyer then contacted police.

Detectives later determined that the vehicle was a match for the pickup truck involved in the crash.

Police interviewe­d Timbario on March 4, at which time he told police that he had been involved in an accident on Route 100 in Pottstown on March 3. He said he had been driving his truck on Route 100 towards Pottstown after leaving Applebee’s. After passing through the intersecti­on at Shoemaker Road, he said an unidentifi­ed object came from his left hand side and hit his truck in the center of the grill. He then got out at the next traffic light to find his grill

smashed and the hood and front bumper bent.

When he returned to the BP Gas Station at the intersecti­on of Shoemaker Road, he said he saw police vehicles and decided to drive his truck to his fiance’s house and park it there. He told police he had been travelling 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

On Tuesday, March 7, an inspection of the truck determined that there were no mechanical failures or defects that would have contribute­d to the crash.

Timbario is being charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury, tampering with or fabricatin­g physical evidence and other related charges. He was arraigned on March 17 before District Judge Scott T. Palladino and is scheduled for a preliminar­y hearing on March 31 again before Palladino. Bail was set at $75,000 unsecured.

 ?? TOM KELLY III — FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA ?? Pottstown firefighte­rs cover the scene as police investigat­e a fatal hit-and-run crash in the southbound lanes of Route 100 near the Pottstown Center.
TOM KELLY III — FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Pottstown firefighte­rs cover the scene as police investigat­e a fatal hit-and-run crash in the southbound lanes of Route 100 near the Pottstown Center.
 ?? PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE ?? Adam Timbario, 28, of Gilbertsvi­lle
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE Adam Timbario, 28, of Gilbertsvi­lle
 ??  ??
 ?? TOM KELLY III – FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA ?? A makeshift memorial for Donnie Purnell is set up along Route 100 at the scene where he was killed in a hit-and-run crash. The scene is right next to the Wendy’s where Purnell was on his way to work.
TOM KELLY III – FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA A makeshift memorial for Donnie Purnell is set up along Route 100 at the scene where he was killed in a hit-and-run crash. The scene is right next to the Wendy’s where Purnell was on his way to work.

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