By Mark Boshnack
Staff Writer
The accident that killed state police at Oneonta Trooper Jill E. Mattice, 31, on Wednesday, occurred when she was returning to the barracks after working at Unadilla Valley Central School, according to state police Troop C commander Major Kevin Molinari.
She was the school resource officer at Unadilla Valley and Franklin Central School.
The comments came during a press conference that was held at Troop C headquarters in Sidney to discuss the incident. For reasons still being investigated, at about 2:50 p.m., she was driving her police car east on state Route 23 in Morris, about 2 miles from the village, Molinari said.
The vehicle drifted into the westbound lane and struck the tractor-trailer, being driven by Frank Saggese, 33, of West Oneonta, he said.
It was owned by Seward Sand and Gravel in Oneonta, and the driver was not injured, Molinari said.
The driver received several vehicle and traffic tickets because its load was above permitted levels, but that in no way contributed to the accident, Molinari said.
Saggese could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Paul Beisler, vice president of Seward Sand, said, "we offer our sympathies for all concerned," but he did not want to discuss the tickets.
The driver appeared to be trying to avoid the accident when it occurred, Molinari said.
The car struck the vehicle on the front bumper and two places on the trailer before going off the shoulder of the road, he said.
Speed did not appear to be a factor, Molinari said.
At the autopsy conducted at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton on Thursday, Dr. James Terzian determined she died instantly of multiple traumatic injuries, said Molinari.
Molinari said the investigation was continuing to determine why she drifted into the oncoming lane. The autopsy ruled out drugs, and investigators were waiting for alcohol tests, though that was not suspected, he said.
She had a cell phone in the vehicle with her and that is being looked at as a possible cause, "along with a number of other things," Molinari said.
"At this point we haven't eliminated anything, whether it's environmental, mechanical, driver inattention," he said.
Troopers did not say how long the investigation could last.
She was recently married and leaves behind a husband, Troy Mattice, of Oneonta _ there were no children, troopers said.
Her parents, Jeff and Karen Farrar, and brother Nate Farrar all live in Cheektowaga, where she grew up, Molinari said.
She was the first female state police officer to die in the line of duty in the state and she will receive full honors at her funeral, he said.
"Jill was just a wonderful, warm human being," Molinari said. "She had a bubbly personality and always had a smile on her face."
She was "a friend and a mentor" to the students she worked with, Molinari said. As such, she was not only a member of "the state police family," but a part of the school districts that are also "grieving," he said.
Immediate family could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Mattice was a 1996 graduate of Cleveland Hill High School, where she was an accomplished athlete, active in volleyball, basketball and softball, according to a report by WIVB in Buffalo.
She is the sister-in-law of trooper Jason Mattice, who is with the state police special operations team and is not involved with the investigation, said Troop C public information officer Nelson Torres.
Torres said she had been with the state police for six-and-a-half years. After she completed her 26 weeks of training, she was assigned to her "home troop," Troop A in Batavia, before being assigned to Oneonta, he said. After a year of road patrol, she worked as a school resource officer. He did not know her prior assignments but she had been with Franklin and Unadilla Valley schools for about two years, a school official said.
The funeral will be held in Buffalo on Tuesday, Molinari said, with calling hours on Sunday and Monday. Plans are still being finalized by the family, he said. There will be a local memorial at a later time, he said.
Troopers asked anyone with information about the crash to call 561-7400.
