Saxonburg Man Faces Felony Charge after Head-On Collision Results in Injury

A 19-year-old Saxonburg man will stand trial in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on a felony charge after a head-on collision in Richland Township that left another man seriously injured.

Lucas Michael Rubin waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Suzanne Blaschak. He is charged with causing an accident that resulted in serious bodily injury when he was not properly licensed. 

Rubin also faces five summary counts of driving without a license, driving while his license was suspended, driving an unregistered vehicle, careless driving, and operating a vehicle without insurance, according to court documents.

A misdemeanor charge of being a habitual offender was withdrawn.

The case stems from a head-on collision in October in the 3400 block of Bakerstown Road that sent a man to the hospital, according to the criminal complaint.

Rubin's 1994 BMW crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a 1998 Jeep Cherokee driven by a 67-year-old Carlton man, who was transported to UPMC Passavant, police said.

The victim "sustained serious bodily injury which included, but was not limited to, two broken ankles, one of which required surgical repair, and a head injury which required four staples to repair," the criminal complaint states.

"The defendant does not have a driver's license and his privilege to operate a vehicle is currently suspended," the criminal complaint states.

Northern Regional police said Rubin's driving record showed he has been convicted three times for driving without a license and twice for driving while his license was suspended.

Rubin told police the BMW's steering system failed, causing it to cross over the center line, but police "found no evidence of steering failure while investigating this incident," the criminal complaint states.

Rubin's formal arraignment is scheduled for March 27.