Hamburg police arrest attorney in fatal hit-and-run

by billwilson2002 | October 23, 2008 at 01:27 am

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John P. Duffy, 41, of Orchard Park, arrested early today by Hamburg Town Police in connection with a fatal weekend hit and run accident, is seen leaving police headquarters today.Bill Wippert/Buffalo News
John P. Duffy, 41, of Orchard Park, arrested early today by Hamburg Town Police in connection with a fatal weekend hit and run accident, is seen leaving police headquarters today.">Click to view a larger picture

Hamburg police arrest attorney in fatal hit-and-run By Gene Warner News Staff Reporter
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An attorney from Orchard Park is accused of driving the hit-and-run vehicle that struck and killed a 19-year-old Hilbert College student over the weekend.

John P. Duffy, 41, was arrested early this morning and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a felony.

Town of Hamburg police also accused Duffy of trying to repair the damage to his SUV and hiding the broken headlight from his vehicle.

Meghan Sorbera, a sophomore from Burlington Flats, near Cooperstown, was fatally injured on South Park Avenue at about 1:35 a.m. Saturday.

The big break in the case came when detectives canvassed the area near the accident and found that an SUV matching the description of the hit-and-run vehicle had gone through the drive-thru window of a late-night restaurant just minutes before the accident.

That vehicle was captured on the restaurant's surveillance camera, and detectives traced the vehicle to Duffy, an attorney with offices in the village of Hamburg.

Suspicions were further raised when a neighborhood canvass revealed that Duffy had attempted to repair the vehicle at his residence, police said.

Detectives obtained a search warrant, and the search of the residence revealed a broken headlight buried deep in a leaf receptacle and glass fragments from the garage floor, they said.

Duffy's vehicle was impounded and taken to the Erie County Central Police Services Lab. It is expected to yield DNA evidence confirming that Duffy's car struck the victim, police said.

When confronted with some of the evidence, Duffy made a confession regarding the accident, according to police.

"When he finally confessed, he appeared remorseful," Town of Hamburg Lt. Kevin Trask said at a late-morning news conference.

The two sides in the case gave different versions of when Duffy knew he had struck someone and whether he was trying to get away with it.

Duffy didn't realize he had hit someone with his vehicle until a "couple of days later," his attorney, Daniel J. Chiacchia, said after Duffy's arraignment.

At the time of the accident, Duffy thought he had struck a trash can, because he looked behind him and saw some papers flying in the air, his attorney said.

Both Chiacchia and police have said Duffy was drinking that night, but no one could say how much and when.

"That really wasn't why this happened," Chiacchia said. "It was more driver inattention than anything."

Chiacchia also said his client remains "extremely remorseful" about what happened.

"He feels horrible for the family," he said. "This is everybody's worst nightmare. All you people out there pointing fingers, this could happen to any of us."

Chiacchia also pointed out that Duffy was driving around in the same vehicle the next day, suggesting that he wasn't trying to hide anything.

"He indicated in his statement that he thought he struck something, but he didn't realize it was an individual until later," Detective Scott Kashino said.

But police and the Erie County district attorney's office believe that Duffy knew, at least by Sunday morning when he talked with his mother, that his vehicle may have been involved in the fatal accident on South Park.

"He had ample opportunity to turn himself in, and he didn't until we closed in on him," Kashino said.

Lt. Trask agreed.

"He was attempting to destroy evidence, tamper with evidence," Trask said. "That shows me he was probably trying to get away with this."

Duffy is charged with leaving the scene of the accident. Town of Hamburg detectives are conferring with the Erie County district attorney's office on other possible charges.

During today's arraignment, Town Justice Walter Rooth released Duffy on his own recognizance, but ordered that his driver's license be suspended, his passport be taken and he be prohibited from leaving the area.

Lynette M. Reda, chief of the district attorney's Vehicular Crimes Bureau, had asked for $25,000 bail, pointing out that Duffy had driven to Pennsylvania in the vehicle some time before he was arrested and that some evidence had been destroyed.

Town of Hamburg police had said they were confident they would find the driver, whether through an exhaustive investigation or through the person surrendering.

"DNA and all the new advances in technology are fantastic, but there's no replacement for good old-fashioned police work," Kashino said.

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billwilson2002

at 01:35 on October 23rd, 2008

Do you know something? Watch he will get off from it easy because he is a lawyer. If I or you done it, We will be going to jail. Understand me?

Sanjay Jha

at 01:47 on October 23rd, 2008

Thanks very much for your post. Please use Highlight tool to refer any external news source. If you have problem then let me know.

billwilson2002

at 01:52 on October 23rd, 2008

Sanjay,

I am having a problem. I try to read the instruction on the age you post in my article and I don't understand it. Can you help me please?

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http://my.nowpublic.com/newsroom/tools/highlight/highlight

Thanks

billwilson2002

at 02:24 on October 23rd, 2008

I did that!!! It is not helping! I am frustrated at this site. It keeps on signing me out!!!!

Sanjay Jha

at 02:08 on October 23rd, 2008

Please go the link and download the Highlight tool according to your browser. And if you have problem then let me know.

billwilson2002

at 02:23 on October 23rd, 2008

I did that!!! It is not helping! I am frustrated at this site. It keeps on signing me out!!!!

Frank P (not verified)

at 06:28 on October 23rd, 2008

It seems wny is getting a reputation for hit and runs.Just recently 2 lawyers, a sports figure. People who know what is right but only care about themselves. We must get back to doing what is right when we do something wrong. Do the right thing and help those in need. And pay the price for you will live a better life. Hit something with your vehicle stop to see what. Or call the police.

Chris Rosendale (not verified)

at 07:11 on October 23rd, 2008

I agree with you as far as we should all do the right thing. But close your eyes and put your self in the shoes of the one who did the hit and run. I mean lets just say you just got done working it's late at night you have been working on a big case and a co-woker says you need to chill out lets grab a drink on the way home. So you try not to but they will notr take no so you figure why not. So you go have one drink and leave to go home. On your way home you hit something and will say worst case you do know what it was you hit. Ok now your a big time lawyer, you had one drink now what starts to go threw your head. All the hard work and time you have put in to trying to be a good person and the best attorny you can is now gone because you got un-lucky. You could stop and help but the way twisted people in are world think you are a drunk and a horrblie lawyer so now your life is over. I could see how a person could make the wrong choice here. I do think in most cases they would end up turning there self in but even if thy do not they still dont get away. I mean that is something you will have to live with for life rather you are to blame or not. I think for the most part this trail should be more on if he was Drunk or a long the lines of that.

Olive Sunshine (not verified)

at 14:59 on October 23rd, 2008

Ok, so you think you hit a garbage can? Why not stop to see what kind of damage you might have done to your car? If you seriously think you only hit a garbage can there is absolutely no reason to stop and see what you might have done to your vehicle. The reason he did not stop is because he knows he hit a person and he was drinking. He probably figured since there were other people she would get immediate medical attention and maybe it was like Marshawn Lynch and she was only "bumped" . Also, if it was only one drink there is absolutely no way he would fail a breathalizer so he would have no reason to not stop and at the very least, check out his own vehicle. It would be interesting to know what cell phone calls he made in the next few hrs because I would bet the rent he called a lawyer. If my husband damaged our vehicle I would want to know what happended so I wonder what the conversation was with his wife or the neighbors or other family in regards to the damage. Did he claim he hit a garbage can? Maybe he said he hit a deer. It was all over the news and on the radio so he must have heard about the accident and he knew he thought he "hit a can" so when did he realize it was a person and why did he wait for police to track him down? He knew what he did and just played the game, hit and run, hole up and sober up, then claim "I did not know I hit a person" waaaa. Only one way to find out what you did hit, STOP and check it out. If you drink and get behind the wheel of a car you know there is a chance you could could kill someone, including yourself. It is like Russian Roulette. I also bet he set his finances in order so a lawsuit can't touch it. You know put it in the wife and kids names and transfer things so they are safe. Sure he will lose his liscence to practice law, publicly humilation and his family is now affected also but this young girl lost her life and her family and friends lost more than John Duffy will ever loose. So I for one hope there is justice and maybe it is time to change the laws again and punish hit and run more harshly.

Erik S (not verified)

at 18:16 on October 24th, 2008

It's pretty clear he was covering it up and is lying. I think anyone could tell the difference of hitting a garbage can to a human! Come on now, and the fact he "didn't know about hitting a person" until days after it was all over the news and the police closing in is absurd. He knew all about it. It takes a real scumbag to hide and lie about killing an innocent person.

the bruce (not verified)

at 13:23 on October 28th, 2008

does anybody know how to find out what Duffy's childrens names are? i think theres someone in one of my classes who is his son. i know its snooping, but im curious and i dont know anybody that knows the kid.

merle (not verified)

at 15:50 on October 30th, 2008

I think asking the names of his children is a little out of line.......dont u think??? Their innocent...lets leave it that way...Dont they have enuff 2 deal with???