Driver killed by Pa. trooper making illegal pass honked as flames engulfed her car: ‘Help me!’

MANSFIELD -- An off-duty state trooper accused of causing a fiery fatal crash in February in Tioga County admitted to making an illegal pass by beginning it in a no-passing zone, according to court records obtained by PennLive.

The admission and heartbreaking new details were contained in a state police affidavit in support of a vehicular homicide charge on which Michael J. Brown was arraigned Monday.

He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail. He has been suspended without pay, a state police spokesperson said.

Brown was charged with causing the Feb. 11 accident on two-lane Route 6 in eastern Tioga County in which Christine E. Woodward, 47, a Troy school teacher and mother of three, was killed.

The head-on crash occurred as Brown was attempting to pass another vehicle on his way to begin his 11 p.m. shift at the Mansfield barracks. Woodward was trapped in her burning SUV. The crash was reported at 10:48 p.m., 12 minutes before Brown's shift and about eight miles from the barracks.

Brown, 35, of Troy, appeared both dazed and distraught when he called 911 to report the incident, Cpl. Jeffrey Vilello, the lead investigator, wrote in the arrest affidavit.

During that call he said he could not get into the car, "they are burning up" and asked someone to bring a bat to break a window, according to the document that includes the contents of his call to the Mansfield barracks:

"I just hit somebody. I just hit somebody on 6. It's bad. The car is on fire. I didn't mean to do it. I thought I was in the clear. I didn't see any headlights."

The following taken from affidavit is Brown's version of the accident:

After entering Tioga County from Bradford County he observed a vehicle in front of him westbound on two-lane Route 6 near Gray Valley Road. He estimated both were going 45 to 50 miles an hour. The speed limit is 55.

He was aware of an upcoming passing zone on a straight section of the highway and after rounding a curve and seeing nothing coming, he started to pass even though he had not reached the passing zone.

As he started to pass he saw headlights in front of him so he turned his Jeep Grand Cherokee left trying to exit the highway on the wrong side and "slammed on his brakes." The two vehicles collided and burst into flames trapping Woodward inside her GMC Acadia.

Brown confirmed when interviewed he knew where the passing zone began and admitted he began to pass before reaching it, according to the affidavit that also includes this:

He was unaware of a dip in the road that allowed cars to disappear from view. "I had no idea you couldn't see a vehicle there," he told Vilello. "I did not know the severity of the dip, that it would hide a car."

Brown, who had been assigned to Mansfield since July 2020, added he thought it was safe when he started to pass, the court document states.

Benjamin Dewalt, who was driving the vehicle being passed, estimated his speed to be 55 to 60 miles an hour and he claimed to an investigator another vehicle was tailgating him.

That vehicle was attempting to pass him as he crested a knoll and saw the eastbound vehicle, he said. He swerved into the grass, hit his brakes and he came to a stop as the collision occurred, he told police.

There was a trail of fire approximately three feet long along the driver's side door of the Acadia trapping the driver inside, he said.

The driver was yelling "help me, help me" while honking the horn, Dewalt said. That went on for about 90 seconds until the car became engulfed in flames, he said.

An autopsy determined Woodward died of thermal injuries suffering third- and four-degree burns over her entire body.

Woodward had just attended a high school basketball game in Liberty, stopped at Walmart in Mansfield for groceries and was heading home to Bradford County, Viello said.

A collision reconstructionist concluded Brown was traveling at between 66 and 71 miles an hour while attempting to pass but had slowed to 38 miles at impact, the affidavit states. There were 66 feet of skid marks, it states.

The airbag control module in Woodward's car was destroyed thus there was no way to exactly determine her speed but it was not believed to be excessive, that trooper reported.

Vilello concluded in his affidavit Brown's actions were "reckless or grossly negligent and caused the death of Woodward."

Besides vehicular homicide, Brown is charged with the following Vehicular Code violations: driving on roadways laned for traffic, no-passing zones, limitations on driving on the left side of the highway, limitations on overtaking on the left and following too closely.