Two men accused of road rage that led to the March 2024 death of a barber from West Scranton pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Tuesday.
Prosecutors say John Darko, 1330 Fords Pond Road, Glenburn Twp., and Paul Viscomi, 39 Van Sickle St., Scott Twp., were involved in a road-rage incident on Keyser Avenue that resulted in the death of Brian Nardella.
Fatal road rage incident
The men were charged in May 2024 after an investigation that began when officers responded to a head-on crash the morning of March 27, 2024, along North Keyser Avenue near Stanton Street, according to the criminal complaint.
First responders found Nardella unresponsive and trapped in his SUV, which was on its roof in a parking lot at the bottom of an embankment on the northbound side of Keyser Avenue, police said.
John Darko (Submitted)
Paul Viscomi (Submitted)
Darko was lying in the grass on the northbound side of Keyser Avenue with an apparent broken left leg and right arm after he was ejected from his 2006 Chevy Silverado during the crash, according to police. Darko was conscious and alert.
Crews extricated Nardella and transported him to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he died, according to the complaint.
Investigators with the Scranton Police Department and state police determined Darko and Viscomi had been jockeying for position at the time of the crash, charges read.
Darko first tried to pass Viscomi and Viscomi sped up to block him. Darko hit a curb and then Viscomi’s truck. The impact caused Darko to lose control of his truck, spin out, cross the double yellow line into oncoming traffic and strike Nardella’s vehicle, court paperwork says.
The impact pushed Nardella’s Honda Passport backward and over a small embankment, causing it to roll over onto its roof, according to police. Darko’s truck spun violently after the impact, ejecting Darko through the passenger window.
State police reconstructed the crash, determining Darko was driving at least 61 mph before the collision, and Viscomi accelerated from 20 mph to at least 53 mph to stop Darko from merging. Nardella attempted to maneuver out of the way, and his airbag module showed he was driving at 30 mph when the crash happened, according to the charging documents.
The speed limit is 35 mph where the crash occurred, police said.
Darko and Viscomi are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 9.