Man Convicted In 2015 Fatal Hit-And-Run

NORTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A man has been convicted for a 2015 hit-and-run that killed a cyclist.

The Allegheny County District Attorney's office says 32-year-old Zachary Chicko, of New Kensington, has been convicted of one count of accidents involving death or personal injury and two summary offenses in connection to the death of 24-year-old Brandon Ortmann.

The hit-and-run happened on the evening of Sept. 18, 2015, on Steubenville Pike in North Fayette Township.

Ortmann was riding his bike home from work when he passed a box truck and was struck in the head by the truck's side mirror.

According to court documents, witnesses told police the driver of the box truck never stopped or slowed down after the crash.

Ortmann was transported to Allegheny General Hospital, where he died on Sept. 19, 2015. The cause of death was determined to be a blunt impact injury to the head.

According to court documents, an anonymous individual contacted police on Jan. 27, 2016. The caller had seen a billboard that had a description of the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run crash and told police Zachary Chicko had a vehicle matching that description.

The caller also stated Chicko had been acting strange for the past few months and had replaced the fender on his truck for no apparent reason.

Police contacted Chicko, who initially denied being in the area at the time of the accident, but then admitted he was driving the truck at the time. Chicko told police he didn't know what he hit, and he left the area because he got scared.

Court documents say there is no indication Chicko was speeding or off the roadway at the time of the crash, but his driving privileges were suspended at the time. The investigation determined the crash occurred because Ortmann was travelling westbound on the eastbound side of the roadway.

Sentencing for Chicko is set for Oct. 12.

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