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Pregnant Passenger Killed When BF Falls Asleep At Wheel: PA State Police

A 20-year-old passenger was 16 weeks pregnant when her partner fell asleep at the wheel and fatally crashed on Saturday, Sept. 7, according to her social media and Pennsylvania State Police. 

Nadia Startzman at 11 weeks and one day pregnant on July 29, 2024.      

Nadia Startzman at 11 weeks and one day pregnant on July 29, 2024.      

Photo Credit: Facebook/Nadia Startzman

Nadia Startzman, was in 19-year-old Tristen Armolt's 2004 Ford Freestar when he fell asleep, lost control of the vehicle, struck a utility pole with the front passenger side of the vehicle, and spun out — ejecting Startzman — she was pronounced dead at the scene, PSP Carlisle Trooper Luke Fiore explained in the release. 

Armolt had been going east on Route 641/Newville Road at the time of the crash and ended up in the westbound lane, Trooper Fiore detailed. PSP was called to the scene in West Pennsboro Township around 12:34 p.m. 

A 2015 Dodge Dart in the westbound lane was hit by debris and suffered minor damage; it was driven from the scene, according to the release. The driver was not injured.

Armolt was injured and taken by Friendship Fire Hose Company EMS to Holy Spirit Medical Center, Fiore wrote. His current status is unknown. His vehicle was towed by HJ Towing and impounded at the PSP Carlisle station.

No charges have been filed at the time of publishing and the investigation is ongoing, PSP told Daily Voice. 

Tristen and Nadia have been in a relationship since Dec. 2, 2023, according to Nadia's Facebook. 

It appears they got engaged in May 2024 and she referred to him as "hubby" in her Facebook Intro and on TikTok in June. 

She announced she was 11 weeks pregnant with Tristen's son in July 2024.

The fetus was 16 weeks old at the time of the crash and according to her sister, the nephew-to-be also passed. Daily Voice reached out to PSP to confirm.

Nadia was a Carlisle native living in Chambersburg who was a class of 2022 graduate of Carlisle High School, where she wrote for the school paper Periscope, according to her Facebook and the school's website. She worked at an Amazon warehouse, South Mountain Raceway, and was briefly a Bakery Clerk at BJ's Wholesale Club, according to her Facebook and LinkedIn. 

She is survived by her siblings, parents, and Tristen. 

Funeral details and Nadia's official cause and manner of death were unavailable at the time of publishing. Check back here for possible updates. 

This is one of three crashes where a fetus was killed in a crash in Central Pennsylvania that Daily Voice has reported on in three days. Click here to read our article on 29-year-old Kayte Derhammer who was 33 weeks pregnant when she was rear-ended by Christopher Sauders on Friday, Sept. 6and click here to read about "an intentional crash" that killed a fetus and injured an infant along with six adults, police explained in an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice.

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