A longtime district judge in Cambria County has been charged with a misdemeanor traffic offense after an accident Tuesday in which his close friend was killed.

District Judge Max Pavlovich, 62, of Johnstown, was driving his 1996 GMC Suburban north on Interstate 95 near Richmond, Va., around 10:20 Tuesday night when he failed to merge right as the left lane ended, said Virginia State Police Sgt. Kevin Barrick.

"I don't know why he didn't see [the signs] because there are 20 signs," Barrick said. "Once he hit the grass, he just lost control of it."

Pavlovich's Suburban overturned several times, ejecting William Roy Clark, 58, of Johnstown, and another passenger, Andrew Hancharick, 69, also of Johnstown.

Clark, a prominent Democrat in Cambria County politics, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he was not wearing a seat belt. Police were unsure if Hancharick was wearing his seat belt, but they did confirm Pavlovich was wearing his.

Pavlovich and Hancharick were taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond.

The three had traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., on May 7 to do work on Pavlovich's condominium in preparation for the summer.

They were heading back to Johnstown when the crash occurred.

Pavlovich, a former driver's education teacher for the Central Cambria School District, is charged with reckless driving, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Most people facing that charge, Barrick said, are sentenced to pay only a fine.

Additional charges are pending a review of the evidence by the Hanover County, Va., prosecutor's office.

Yesterday, Clark's wife, Rita, said Pavlovich is devastated, and that he and her husband had been friends for more than 10 years.

"I wish there was something I could do to relieve his agony," Rita Clark said. "This was not a crime. It's an accident. It's God's will. We understand that, and we just hope the public does."

William Clark worked in the custodial department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

He ran unsuccessfully in the past for prothonotary in Cambria County, and recently helped organize the Richland Township Democratic Party. He also was active in the region's Special Olympics.

Rita Clark works as the administrator at a personal care home owned by Pavlovich; Hancharick also works there.