ONEONTA — Driver inattention by State Trooper Jill E. Mattice was the cause of the accident in which she died, according to a release from Troop C headquarters in Sidney. The exact cause remains unknown, and the investigation has concluded, but several possible causes have been ruled out, troopers said.
The investigation determined her cell phone was not in use when the collision took place _ at about 2:50 p.m. Jan. 20, troopers said. Messages left for Troop C Maj. Kevin Molinari and for the troop’s bureau of criminal investigation for comment were not returned Friday afternoon.
Mattice, 31, became the first female state trooper to die in action when she was traveling east in her patrol car on state Route 23 from her assignment as a school resource officer at Unadilla Valley Central School. She was returning to the Oneonta barracks when the accident occured.
Mathematical calculations, along with independent electronic data from two sources, indicate that the speed of Mattice’s vehicle at the time of impact was approximately 58 miles per hour, troopers said. The speed limit on the road was 55, troopers said.
An autopsy eliminated any medical conditions that could have contributed to the collision, troopers said.
The cell phone owned by Mattice and taken from the vehicle following the accident, was forwarded to the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center for analysis, troopers said.
