LANCASTER, PA — In a courtroom moment that captured the complex layers of tragedy and accountability, Rodolfo Paradas, 54, of Lancaster, was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison on Monday for a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of 66-year-old Dr. Steven Killough. The sentencing, handed down by Lancaster County Judge Merrill Spahn, followed Paradas’s January 2024 open guilty plea to charges of accidents involving death or personal injury, accidents involving death while not licensed, and three summary charges.
The fatal accident occurred on a rainy afternoon on October 29, 2021, at the intersection of N. Prince and W. Chestnut Streets in Lancaster city. According to reports, Paradas struck Dr. Killough in the crosswalk and subsequently moved the victim to the side of the road before fleeing the scene without notifying law enforcement. The event, captured on video by the Lancaster Safety Coalition, led to the identification and arrest of Paradas, who at the time did not possess a valid driver’s license due to a previous revocation in Massachusetts.
Dr. Killough succumbed to a traumatic brain injury on November 12, 2021, intensifying the gravity of Paradas’s actions. During the court proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Blazier presented a statement from the victim’s daughter, emphasizing the profound loss experienced by Dr. Killough’s family. Despite acknowledging the defendant’s subsequent personal tragedy — Paradas became paralyzed from the waist down after a fall from a roof shortly after the accident — Blazier and the court focused on the irrevocable harm caused by his initial decision to leave the scene.
Judge Spahn pointed out the pivotal mistake made by Paradas that day, noting that his failure to remain at the accident site and cooperate with the authorities transformed what could have been a minor traffic violation into a significantly more severe charge. Paradas, who attended the sentencing on a gurney due to his paralysis, expressed remorse, citing fear and lack of a valid license as reasons for his departure from the scene.
The Lancaster City Bureau of Police, through Officer Ziyi Skatz, filed the charges that ultimately led to Paradas’s conviction, closing a chapter on a case marked by both legal and personal tragedy.
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