Nicholas D. Toth, 43, of Warminster. Credit: Warminster Township Police.
At a preliminary hearing on Monday, charges of vehicular homicide and misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter were held for Bucks County Common Pleas Court against a Warminster man accused of killing a 78-year-old grandfather of 18 grandchildren in a fatal accident in July.
Nicholas D. Toth, 43, of the 100 block of East Street Road, also had lesser charges of speeding and reckless driving held for February arraignment related to the July 16 crash that killed Michael P. Maddock, of Hatboro, according to court documents.
Toth remains free on $100,000 unsecured bail.
On July 16, at 8:28 p.m., police were dispatched to Newtown Road and Coventry Lane for a report of a two-vehicle crash blocking traffic, with one driver slumped over the steering wheel and unresponsive, police said.
Upon arrival, police found a black 2021 Nissan Sentra, driven by Toth, and a black 2011 Nissan Rogue, driven by Maddock, police said.
Police said a large group of people gathered around Maddock’s car, and police found Maddock slumped over, with the upper half of his body stuck between the passenger seat and the floorboard.
Police were unable to remove Maddock from his car, and he had to be freed by the fire department, per the complaint.
Once freed, Maddock was found to be dead, police said.
Toth was injured in the wreck and was taken to Abington Hospital by Central Bucks EMS, police said.
Both cars were towed from the scene to the Warminster Township Police impound lot.
Police spoke with Toth at the hospital, who said he was driving northbound on Newtown Road at 45 mph, with his car headlights set to automatic, per the complaint.
Toth told police that the weather was dark and gloomy, the roadway was wet, and his windshield was wet from either rain or spray from the wet roadway, per the affidavit.
He told police that he saw Maddock driving toward him in the southbound lane of traffic, and that Maddock attempted to turn left onto Coventry Lane without yielding to him, police said.
Toth said he braked hard and then skidded on the wet roadway before hitting Maddock’s Nissan, police said. He could not remember if Maddock’s Nissan’s lights were on or if he used a turn signal, per the affidavit.
The Bucks County Crash Team was contacted and investigated the incident. The deputy chief of the crash team, police said, authored a report on the crash reconstruction.
The report concluded that Toth’s actions while driving was the cause of the crash, police said, in which he was speeding more than 75 mph on the 25 mph-posted Newtown Road when he crashed into Maddock.
Toth is represented by attorney Louis R. Busico.
Michael P. Maddock, 78, of Hatboro, killed in a July 16 crash in Warminster. Credit: Wetzel & Son Funeral Home.Maddock had six children and 18 grandchildren, according to his obituary, and graduated from North Catholic High School in 1963 and La Salle University in 1967.
Maddock, an Eagle Scout, was an auditor for the U.S. government for nearly 40 years, per his obituary.
“His hobbies included collecting stamps, coins, Hot Wheels, and baseball cards. He enjoyed gardening and fishing. He loved Flag Day. He loved shopping for anything on clearance and for sweets. He coached many teams for his children. He fascinated his children with magic tricks during birthday parties. He enjoyed playing Santa and being mistaken for Santa. He enjoyed being a scout and encouraging his children to be scouts. He enjoyed Sudoku and Cryptograms. He was the king of Dad jokes. His biggest hobby was spending time with his family. He enjoyed going to school functions, the kids sporting events, and camp outings. He always put others first and helped anyone/everyone in need,” stated his obituary.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
