The popular Scranton barber killed in a March crash needlessly died because one speeding driver raced to pass another who drove faster to cut him off, according to court documents charging both.
The reckless way John Darko and Paul Viscomi drove March 27 in Scranton’s Keyser Valley killed Brian Nardella, according to arrest affidavits. Nardella, 49, of Scranton, founded and owned Loyalty Barber Shops in Scranton, Archbald and Wilkes-Barre.
Viscomi tried to blame Darko for triggering the wreck, but police say video recordings on nearby businesses show otherwise.
The recordings show Viscomi “intentionally sped up to prevent” Darko from entering his lane from a “merge lane” on the right, the affidavits say.
“The video shows each of them speeding and jockeying for position with their trucks,” Scranton Patrolman Michael Morrison and Cpl. Rich Iannuzzo wrote in the affidavits.
Their pickup trucks collided, roughly side by side, with Darko’s then crossing into the oncoming lane and knocking Nardella’s SUV down an embankment and onto its roof.
As Darko’s truck spun violently, he was tossed outside and suffered a broken left leg and right arm.
Police charged both men with homicide and aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, reckless and careless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, speeding and racing on highways.
Viscomi, 44, of 39 Van Sickle St., Scott Township, is also charged with driving a vehicle that isn’t registered.
Darko, 44, of 1330 Fords Pond Road, Glenburn Township, is also charged with disregarding a traffic lane, operating a vehicle that lacked a valid inspection and improperly passing on the right.
Police arrived about 8:30 a.m. at North Keyser Avenue near Stanton Street and the Morgan Highway.
They found Nardella’s Honda SUV on its roof in the parking lot of a business and near a short embankment. He was trapped inside, unconscious and still wearing his seat belt. He was pronounced dead later at Geisinger Community Medical Center of multiple traumatic injuries.
Witnesses saw Darko’s pickup strike Nardella’s SUV and knock it down the embankment. Viscomi came forward and told how Darko caused the accident, but left out his role, according to the affidavits.
“Importantly, this collision and the driving behavior of both Viscomi and Darko was captured and recorded on multiple Keyser Avenue business surveillance cameras,” Morrison and Iannuzzo wrote.
The camera at Pizza Plus recorded the whole thing.
“The video clearly shows unit 1 (Darko) and unit 2 (Viscomi) both speeding and operating their vehicles recklessly,” Morrison and Iannuzzo wrote.
Darko got the nose of his truck past Viscomi’s and tried to merge, but Viscomi speeded up to prevent the pass. As the merge lane ends, Darko’s pickup struck a curb and the pickups collided. The rear of Darko’s pickup lifts off the ground and spins into the oncoming lane and strike’s the SUV.
Nardella swerved but Darko’s pickup struck the driver’s side front and knocked it down the embankment.
Using surveillance video, including some from Viscomi’s dashboard camera, a state police accident reconstruction team determined Viscomi was driving at least 53 mph and Darko at least 61 mph
Viscomi’s dashboard camera recorded his pickup’s speed.
“In the moments leading up to the collision, Viscomi accelerates from 20 mph to 53 mph in a short distance,” the affidavit says.
The speed limit is 35 mph there.
An analysis of Nardella’s SUV’s airbag showed he was driving 30 mph.
Both men were charged Wednesday and released on $250,000 unsecured bail. Both have preliminary hearings scheduled for June 12 at 9:45 a.m.
Since the accident, Viscomi was also charged with traffic violations May 2 by Dickson City police – driving a vehicle that isn’t registered, driving a vehicle that lacks a valid inspection and driving a vehicle that lacks a valid emissions inspection.
