By Dan Majors
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
FOREST HILLS, Pa. — One woman was killed and four people were seriously injured as they were leaving Good Friday services at a Forest Hills Catholic church yesterday when a car being driven by a retired priest lurched over the curb and into the portico where they were gathered.
Witnesses said the Rev. Elmer Kacinko, 79, had just finished assisting with an afternoon service at St. Maurice Church on Ardmore Boulevard and was driving his Buick LeSabre around to the entrance of the church when he lost control of the vehicle and it accelerated into a small crowd standing under the shelter.
“They all stand outside after church; you know how they stand outside talking about this and that. And he just came right through the crowd of them,” said parishioner Tom Kasardo, 57, of Forest Hills. “My mother-in-law was coming outside with some of her friends when it happened. One of the ladies who got struck by the car was holding my mother-in-law’s hand. It just missed [my mother-in-law] and ran her over.”
The Rev. John W. Skirtich, pastor of St. Maurice Church, said during services last night that Madeline Romell, 89, of Forest Hills, had died.
Authorities declined to identify the other victims, but witnesses said those injured, most of whom were older parishioners, included at least three people who were related.
One woman, who may have been Ms. Romell, had a leg severed in the accident. Other injuries included broken arms and legs, and at least one woman suffered a concussion.
Forest Hills police Sgt. Charles Williams said five people were transported by ambulance to UPMC Mercy and Presbyterian hospitals. Other parishioners who were slightly injured left on their own.
“Unfortunately, there were quite a few people gathered there,” Sgt. Williams said. “As the car struck them, they were knocked down. Some people were hit by the car. Some people were hit by other people and knocked down. There were people all over the ground. We needed a lot of medical assistance.”
Marcello Frollo, 49, a maintenance and landscaping worker from Penn Hills, was cutting the lawn near the entrance when the accident occurred.
“They were just coming out of the service at about 2:30, quarter to 3,” he said. “There was a line of cars coming up to the front of the church that were picking people up. We heard this loud bang when he hit the bench and everybody just gathered to try to help. There was one lady who knew what she was doing and took her belt off so it could be used as a tourniquet.”
That woman was parishioner Angela Thomas, 48, of Forest Hills, a registered nurse who arrived late for the 1:30 p.m. service and was proceeding through the outdoor stations of the cross with her 11-year-old son and his friend on the church grounds across the parking lot.
“We were at the second station when we heard the loudest bangs, over the sound of the lawn mowers, and then we heard piercing screams that were horrible,” Ms. Thomas said. “When I saw the one lady’s leg was almost severed, I took my belt off and I threw it across to another nurse who was a parishioner.”
Ms. Thomas said she then tried to help the people under the car, including a man whose left leg and left arm appeared to be broken.
“I put my coat under him,” she said. “He was asking if his wife was OK. And she said she was OK and was asking if he was OK. It was very heart-rending. They were spouses underneath the car, one on each side.
“He was pinned and he was frightened and he was in severe pain. I prayed with him to keep him calm. That’s all I could do.”
Ms. Thomas said she spoke with Father Kacinko at the scene. He and the passengers in his car were not hurt.
“He told me the accelerator of his car went on its own and he could not stop the car,” she said. “He’s just the sweetest priest and a wonderful man. He’s in shock. He’s just devastated.”
Parishioners said Father Kacinko, who is retired from the former St. Francis Parish in Coral, Indiana County, lives in nearby Centurion Commons and has been assisting at St. Maurice for more than 10 years.
Father Skirtich conducted yesterday’s service and said Father Kacinko was in a state of shock and in need of prayers.
“I was with the victims of the accident and we are praying that everyone makes it,” said Father Skirtich, who said he planned to visit the injured in the hospitals later in the evening. “It was a traumatic and frightening scene. We ask prayers for our parish and all of those involved in this horrific accident.
“Sometimes when you watch tragic things on TV, the mind intellectually understands that they’ve happened, and even on an emotional level. But when you see it personally right in front of you and you hear the screams and see the people suffering, it’s a whole ‘nother level of understanding.”
Bishop David Zubik, of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, said, “My heart goes out to all of the people hurt and all of the people injured and their families and for Father Elmer.”
Forest Hills Mayor Ray Heller, a lifelong member of the church, said he knew some of the victims but declined to identify them. He noted that emergency crews were on the scene within minutes of the accident.
“Our fire department and police station are practically next door,” he said. “The ambulance station is right across the parking lot, so it was a very quick response.”
Sgt. Williams said Allegheny County Police are conducting the reconstruction of the accident.