Doctor killed checking others on Pa. Turnpike

A young doctor who was a Peace Corps alumnus and the father of two was killed Sunday when he got out of his car to check on other motorists involved in a multicar crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County.

Andrew S. Fisher, 35, of Pittsburgh, was walking on the right embankment toward the "most severe-looking collision" when another vehicle approached, according to state police.

Susanne M. Case, 72, of Trenton, swerved onto the embankment to avoid hitting "the people standing in the roadway," according to a state police news release. Instead, she struck Fisher, state police said.

"He died doing the kind of thing he's been doing all his life," said Francis Solano, a physician who worked with Fisher in Pittsburgh.

Fisher, his wife, and two sons were heading home Sunday after a wedding in Philadelphia. They were in the westbound lanes around 12:30 p.m., soon after the first flakes began to accumulate.
The Fishers were among several motorists involved in minor crashes near the 300-mile marker, about five miles east of Morgantown.

Fisher "jumped right out of the car without his coat on," Solano said. His wife followed, but when she caught up, there was already a crowd gathered around.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fisher attended the University of Pittsburgh for his medical degree and residency, and joined the staff of Solano & Kokales Internal Medicine Associates in August 2012, Solano said.

He described Fisher as funny, dedicated, and adventurous — a bike commuter through rain, mud, sleet, and snow.

"He was a young, talented guy at the peak of his career," Solano said. "He loved his practice, loved his patients, great with his partners, and he really cared about his kids."

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