Lawyer: Pa. GOP strategist did not hit motorcyclist in fatal Turnpike crash

HARRISBURG — A lawyer for Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Gerow said Monday that preliminary information shows that Gerow did not hit the motorcyclist killed in a late-night accident last week that shut down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for nearly seven hours.

In a statement, West Chester lawyer Joseph P. Green Jr. said the motorcyclist, who has been identified as Logan Carl Abbott, 30, of Bradford County, crashed with another vehicle, and that Gerow struck the motorcycle after it had been knocked down on the westbound lanes of the highway.

At least one witness told The Inquirer and Spotlight PA last week that Gerow was driving with the motorcycle wedged into the grill of his car before he was pulled over several miles from the accident scene by a Pennsylvania State Police trooper.

In the statement Monday, Green said that Gerow voluntarily gave a blood sample, which he said will show the Republican candidate was not driving impaired.

“There is no evidence that Mr. Gerow struck the motorcyclist or that Mr. Gerow struck an operating motorcycle,” Green said in the statement.

He added: “Mr. Gerow was heartbroken to learn that the driver of a motorcycle was fatally injured and is praying for him and his family.”

Green could not be reached Monday afternoon to describe what preliminary evidence he had. Kevin Harley, a spokesperson for Gerow, did not respond to a request for more information.

State police officials, who are investigating the fatal crash, could not immediately be reached. A family member of Abbott’s said the family did not want to talk about what had happened.

Earlier in the day, state police Cpl. Brent Miller said it could take time to determine what happened that night.

“The investigation is currently active and ongoing and involves complex analysis and reconstruction to help determine the circumstances,” Miller said in an email. “Fatal crash investigations routinely take a significant amount of time to complete.”

Gerow, a longtime Republican strategist based in Harrisburg, announced his run for governor last month, saying he’s a “coalition builder” who, as a Latino immigrant who found opportunity in the United States, can unite the GOP and expand its appeal.

He said he would campaign as a “conservative happy warrior,” with a focus on helping the state’s economy rebound after being shut down during the pandemic, and making Pennsylvania more attractive to businesses.

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