Pisciottano honors nurse killed by distracted driver
Dedicates portion of Ohio Township road as Scott F. Hirsh Interchange
Rep. Nick Pisciottano October 5, 2022 | 4:39 PM
OHIO TOWNSHIP, Oct. 5 – The interchange located on I-279 at Camp Horne Road has officially been renamed the Scott F. Hirsh Memorial Interchange, state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, D-Allegheny, announced today.
“Scott was taken from us far too soon, and it’s disappointing that the individual responsible for his death will never be held accountable,” Pisciottano said at today’s dedication ceremony.
“While we can’t bring Scott back, I’m extremely proud that we were able to honor his legacy and make meaningful changes to the law to ensure that distracted drivers in the future are held accountable. Scott's legacy will continue to save lives across the Commonwealth every day, just as he did in life as a registered nurse.”
Pisciottano thanked Hirsh’s surviving family for their perseverance in pursuing legislative changes, crediting them as a major factor in the creation of Pennsylvania’s Move Over Law, which went into effect in April of 2021.
The ceremony took place at 5000 Perry Highway in Ross Township, near where Hirsh was killed, and now the permanent site of a PennDOT sign bearing the interchange’s new name.
Exactly five years ago, on October 5, 2017, Hirsh was traveling northbound on I-279 in Ohio Township when he safely pulled off onto the shoulder, set up road flares and traffic cones, put his blinkers on, and began changing a tire on his camper.
Tragically, a distracted driver swerved across all travel lanes and fatally struck Hirsh. After the incident, state police and the Allegheny County district attorney said they planned to cite the distracted driver with careless driving or criminal negligence. However, due to a lack of applicable laws on the books at the time, the driver was never prosecuted.
Pisciottano co-sponsored legislation to rename the interchange in Hirsh’s memory, which was first introduced by Pisciottano’s predecessor, Bill Kortz, and signed into law in June of this year.
Photos from the dedication ceremony are available here.