Parpalegic found guilty in fatal hit/run crash
By Associated Press

A paraplegic who used a stick to operate the pedals of his car has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a firefighter he hit as she tended an injured man.

Superior Court Judge Jerome Herlihy found 29-year-old Joseph Taye of Bear guilty Friday in the death of 29-year-old Michelle Smith.

The accident occurred on Dec. 20 on Route 13 in Delaware City.

Police said Taye was driving a car that sideswiped a police car at the scene of a motorcycle accident, went out of control and struck Smith and the motorcyclist.

The driver of another car helped Taye into his vehicle and took off.

Taye had been charged in a November 2007 hit-and-run accident in Elkton.

That case was placed on the inactive docket.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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