May 5—The Westmoreland County district attorney Friday defended a decision to charge a Pennsylvania State Police trooper with summary traffic offenses for his role in a fatal accident last year.

Tyler Strini, 27, of Homer City, pleaded guilty Friday to four traffic offenses — speeding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and careless driving-unintentional death — in connection with the fatal crash last year in Salem. He was ordered to pay more than $1,100 in fines and court costs.

Police said John Farally, 56, of Pitcairn was waiting at a stoplight on Route 66 north at the Route 22 interchange at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 17 when the Mazda 3 he was driving was hit from behind by a BMW driven by Strini, who was off duty and on his way home after working a shift as a state police trooper. Strini did not slow down as he approached the stop light, police said in a report issued last year.

Farally had to be extracted from his vehicle and taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, where he died the next day from injuries sustained in the crash. Strini refused medical transport to a hospital but went to a UPMC hospital to be evaluated for minor injuries, according to the state police crash report.

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, in an emailed statement issued Friday, defended the decision to charge Strini with summary traffic citations.

"Our office recommends charges based upon the law and evidence. After a careful and thorough review of the evidence and accident reconstruction report, a determination was made that the evidence surrounding this accident would not support a charge of homicide by vehicle in this particular case. Upon the facts set forth, consultation with the victim's family, our office believes the charges filed by state police are appropriate and reflect the need for accountability," Ziccarelli wrote.

Strini joined the state police in 2020 and as of last summer was assigned to Troop B in Uniontown and remained on active duty. His current status could not confirmed on Friday.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .