By Brett R. Whitling
Staff writer
CLARION – An 18-year-old Shippenville woman is facing numerous charges after she allegedly allowed two people to ride on her car or to hang on the car, resulting in juries to both of the passengers.
Jessica Leigh Sheffer is charged with two counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault by vehicle; two counts of second-degree misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person; two counts of second-degree misdemeanor simple assault; two summary charges for reckless driving; one summary charge of driving at an unsafe speed, three summary charges for having obstructed windows, three summary charges for permitting a person to hang on the vehicle and three summary charges for hazardous disorder conduct, at 4:47 p.m. Feb. 28 at Clarion University Memorial Stadium parking lot in Clarion Borough.
According to court documents, Anikalle Craig was sitting in the windowsill of the driver’s side door, Marcus Wylie was on the hood and Brittany Parker was sitting in the windowsill of the passenger’s side door with her legs outside of the car.
Witnesses allegedly said they saw Sheffer driving through the parking lot around 30 miles per hour when she turned sharply to the left.
The action caused Wylie slide off the hood of the car and Parker to be ejected from the vehicle.
A Clarion University softball player saw what happened from the field and informed Clarion University Athletic Trainer Jim Thorton about the incident.
Thorton immediately attended to Parker.
When Clarion University Public Safety Officer Shane. R. White and Clarion Borough Police Officer Josh Guntrum arrived at the scene, they saw Thorton treating Parker who was incapacitated and bleeding severely from the head.
Both Parker and Wylie were flown separately to UPMP Presbyterian Hospital.
Wiley received road rash and the doctors told him he may have something broken on the left side of his neck and he had a concussion.
Parker suffered a fractured skull with multiple surface brain bruises, bleeding of the brain, a broken pelvis (multiple fractures), two separated vertebrae in the neck with ligament damage, a fractured tailbone and minor loss of hearing in the left ear.
White travelled to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital to interview Parker, but according to her parents, she did not remember anything and did not remember the correct location of the accident.
State police Cpl. Kurtis Rummel requested trooper Shawn Compton of the Forensic Services Unit to help conduct a recreation of the incident.
From the investigation, it was determined when the car took the sharp turn, Parker was thrown 79 feet from the vehicle before hitting the ground and then continued to slide for another 11 feet.