West Mifflin police have charged a 40-year-old Pittsburgh man in the July 11 crash that killed Shelly Hunter, a 60-year-old Whitaker woman who died just minutes after officers reached the wreckage on Buttermilk Hollow Road. Investigators say Keith Scherba Jr. was driving a stolen white Chevrolet pickup at 91 mph when he ran a red light and slammed into Hunter's stationary Chevrolet SUV, and that he had illegal drugs in his system at the time.
Police were dispatched to the crash scene at 6:33 a.m. that day, according to reporting by TribLIVE, which detailed the criminal complaint against Scherba. The impact reportedly propelled Hunter's vehicle into a Kia SUV driven by Kayla Skalski, who suffered three broken ribs and a concussion and was treated at an area hospital. Hunter died eight minutes after police arrived. Scherba was also injured and was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital; as of the complaint's filing, court records indicated he was not yet in police custody.
A witness told investigators Scherba was driving recklessly at a high rate of speed on Buttermilk Hollow Road just before the collision, per the criminal complaint. Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station reportedly showed him driving into oncoming traffic and passing two cars on their left, according to police. A blood test taken the day of the crash showed cannabis in Scherba's system, and officers who encountered him described him as groggy and lethargic with bloodshot eyes.
A Stolen Truck and an Earlier Hit-and-Run
Police say the pickup Scherba was driving had already been involved in a separate hit-and-run earlier that same morning on the Birmingham Bridge, striking a vehicle belonging to Eric Wilson Jr. Wilson reported that the truck caused significant damage to the side of his vehicle and later provided dash-cam footage to authorities documenting the encounter. Scherba eventually released a trailer he had been towing at the FBI field office on Pittsburgh's South Side, where he told a security worker there that he had stolen the vehicle, according to the same account.
Scherba's driver's license was already suspended for DUI-related issues at the time of the fatal crash, police said. Under Pennsylvania Vehicle Code Title 75 § 1543(b), driving on a license suspended for a prior DUI carries a mandatory summary fine and a mandatory jail term of 60 to 90 days, in addition to a further one- to two-year suspension, according to the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Scherba now faces 16 counts in total, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter, and DUI.
What Scherba Told Police
According to the criminal complaint, Scherba made a series of admissions to investigators. He reportedly said he had been drinking and partying the night before the crash, that he had not taken his prescribed schizophrenia medication for several days, and that he had probably taken a little bit of everything. He also told police he was driving fast because he was crazy, and, referencing the collision itself, said simply, I hit you.
Statutory Exposure Under Pennsylvania Law
Homicide by Vehicle While DUI is classified as a second-degree felony under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3735, carrying a mandatory minimum of three years in prison per fatality and maximum penalties of up to 10 years and a $25,000 fine per count, according to legal reference materials cited by FindLaw. Under Pennsylvania's Act 153 of 2018, a prior DUI conviction or diversion-program participation elevates the charge to a first-degree felony, raising the mandatory minimum to five years for one prior DUI and seven years for two or more, per guidance published by Bucks County DUI Lawyers. Whether Scherba's record includes a prior DUI conviction that would trigger that enhancement was not specified in the criminal complaint.
A Mother Remembered for Sacrifice
Hunter raised three sons and adopted a fourth as a teenager, working two jobs to provide for her family, according to her obituary. Her family said she left a legacy of fierce love, tireless hard work and quiet generosity. A Munhall funeral home held services for Hunter on July 19, and she was buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.
A Dangerous Intersection With a Troubled History
The intersection of Lebanon Church Road and Buttermilk Hollow Road has a grim precedent. In September 2018, a 23-year-old driver under the influence ran a turn lane at 70 mph and struck a stopped vehicle at the same junction, killing 19-year-old passenger Ashley Hill, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That crash led to homicide by vehicle while DUI charges against driver Robert Darrisaw. A separate multi-vehicle collision struck the same intersection in March 2026, drawing prior local attention to safety concerns there months before Hunter's death, as Hoodline reported on the day of the July crash.
The crash site has also been subject to long-term single-lane restrictions and traffic shifts throughout 2025 and 2026 tied to construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Mon/Fayette Expressway expansion, according to West Mifflin Borough advisories. The intersection connects several major roadways near the Allegheny County Airport, according to WPXI. Statewide, Pennsylvania recorded 1,127 traffic deaths in 2024, the second-lowest annual total since records began in 1928, and alcohol- and drug-impaired fatalities dropped from 429 in 2023 to 342 in 2024, according to PennDOT. Allegheny County still ranks among the top three counties statewide for total motor vehicle crashes, alongside Philadelphia and Bucks counties, per data cited by Cordisco & Saile LLC.
