A Philadelphia woman is facing criminal charges after striking a Morrisville man with her minivan as he walked his dog near the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge on Feb. 1.
Georgina Papa, 18, was charged Feb. 25 with causing an accident involving injury while not licensed, and aggravated assault by vehicle — both felonies — along with recklessly endangering another person, driving without a license, reckless driving, driving on the sidewalk, and carrying a false identification card.
Also charged in the incident is her mother, Nancy Raquel Papa, 48, of Philadelphia, who was a passenger in the minivan along with two of her younger children. She is accused of giving false information to the police and permitting her daughter to drive without a license, both considered summary offenses.
Photo: New Hope Police
Paul Stancker, 53, is said to be recovering at home from severe injuries sustained when he was struck by the vehicle. His dog was reportedly uninjured.
Surveillance video from cameras at the intersection and on the bridge show Papa driving north on South Main Street in a 2014 Toyota Sienna, then turning right onto East Bridge Street, police say. She drove over the curb, striking a garbage can, then hit Stancker head-on as he walked west on the sidewalk.
The impact of the collision forced Stancker onto the hood and windshield of the minivan, where he was carried several feet before the vehicle struck a utility pole, sending him flying another 10 feet onto the sidewalk, according to the police report. Police arriving on the scene found him unconscious and bleeding from the mouth.
Stancker suffered skull, facial, and rib fractures, along with severe bleeding around his brain, and was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne.
Police allege that Papa “recklessly or with gross negligence caused serious bodily injury to another person” while driving without a valid driver’s license. They say she also possessed a fake Ohio driver’s license falsely identifying her as being 21 or older.
Papa’s lawyer said the charges are inappropriate.
“It’s not a crime, it’s a car accident,” said Robert Madden. “She feels horrible that somebody was hurt, she wants justice to happen for the guy injured, but justice is not served by her being inappropriately charged with a crime.”
Madden also said that charging her with carrying a false identification card made no sense.
“She is an 18-year-old who had a fake ID,” he said. “She didn’t show it to them. It has nothing to do with this.”
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 23.
Drive without a license you get a fine. Inexperienced driver (18, a kid) panics and hits the gas instead of the brake and causes a 1 car accident and a seriously injured pedestrian…it’s terrible but no arrest or prosecution. Put them both together and you get a gaggle of Internet nitwits with torches and pitchforks forming a virtual lynchmob
I was driving by minutes after it happened while EMT’s were rushing to the scene and traffic could still get through. My husband and I were convinced that that man lying there in a lifeless heap was dead. Crowds were there so we couldn’t really offer any help, so like many others that day who felt helpless at what we were seeing, we were directed to drive by.
That time of day on a busy Saturday there is always tons of pedestrian traffic. When driving there is practically no way to speed because of the throngs of people walking. And the traffic light only lets a few cars few at a time.
For that unlicensed and clearly terribly inexperienced driver to end up smashing her car with that velocity and ferocity into a street lamp, she had to have lost control and pushed the gas pedal or something. The way that car ended up made no sense because nobody is driving that fast on a busy weekend at that particular intersection. She would have had to be gunning it, and who on earth ACELERATES their car like that when slowly maneuvering around pedestrian crowds?
Unlicensed drivers who get into accidents like that, and the others in the car who lie to police for them, should all be thrown in jail. This wasn’t just a young or inexperienced driver. Based on what she did and how her car ended up in this accident, it is clear to everyone who observed the scene like we did that she is a very DANGEROUS driver, and something like this is highly likely a part of her future unless she applies legally for a license and takes driver training.
In many parts of Philadelphia people seem to think a driver’s license is optional. I feel bad for the victim.
So many things wrong with this picture. That she turned the corner from Main Street and then was going fast enough to lose control and strike and carry a pedestrian before she struck that pole and nearly totaled the car is bad enough. But then the mother, allowing a clearly inexperienced driver to drive with two younger kids in the car? What other kind of enabling behavior was going on?
So driving illegally without a driver’s license with 2 children AND her mother in the car. She didn’t even have a permit? That’s really nice.
Female drivers…shocking. They are usually always paying attention and never on their phones because they can’t be alone with their thoughts 😉
Based on the information here I don’t see a good reason to charge a 18 year old kid with 2 felonies
Wow is all I can say if you cannot see the seriousness of her crimes. Remind me not to get on the road when you are driving Dominic – you can’t see for sure.
An 18 year old is not a kid. She has been charged with an accident involving injury while not licensed and aggravated assault by vehicle — both felonies. That man & his dog could have been killed because of her blatant disregard for the law. Then we’d have vehicular homicide. Is she too young for that too? I’m shocked there wasn’t a charge for driving an uninsured vehicle!
You know what, you’re right. Who cares that she was driving without a license. No big deal. The fact that she drove on the sidewalk and struck a pedestrian isn’t a huge issue. And besides, Paul Stancker only received fractured ribs and a skull fracture with bleeding around his brain. The fact she was carrying false ID shouldn’t be really matter that much, right?
Get real. This kid should have the book thrown at her. She almost killed pedestrian while driving recklessly in a small downtown area. She’s a freaking menace.
I doubt Paul Stancker would agree with you.
She knowingly drove without a license. She drove onto the sidewalk and hit a person. She’s not a kid. She’s an adult.