In The News
5 killed, 7 hurt as 18-wheeler, van collide in Pennsylvania
EIGHTY-FOUR, Pa. — An 18-wheeler and a van carrying people from a mental health facility collided on Thursday, killing five people and injuring seven others.
Witnesses told investigators the van stopped at an intersection and then pulled right in front of the tractor-trailer, Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said. The van ended up on its side and against a building with its roof crushed.
Authorities said they did not believe the trucker was speeding. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials hauled the rig from the sccene and planned to weigh and inspect it. Its load was not determined.
The crash happened about 10 a.m. in Somerset Township, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.
Crews worked for several hours to remove the five bodies from the van, authorities said.
Seven people were taken to hospitals; some were reported in stable condition but the conditions of others was not immediately available.
The van was believed to be carrying residents of a group home in Bentleyville. A man who answered the phone at the Mental Health Association of Washington County in Bentleyville said they were "going through a crisis situation and can't take this call."
The 18-wheeler is owned by Strocker Trucking Co. in Gnadenhutten, Ohio. A man who answered the phone at the company said, "At the moment we're still investigating this and I have no comment."
The van was pinned against a storage building owned by C.R. Augenstein Inc., a home gas and oil delivery business. Chuck Augenstein, the company's retired owner, was called to the scene by neighbors who heard the crash.
"There's an accident here at least twice a month," he said, adding that none had been fatal before Thursday. PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick said there have been a total of 15 crashes at the site over the past five years.
Jeff Breen of PennDOT's Washington County maintenance office said state transportation officials were aware of safety concerns at the intersection and that an upgrade was planned, although he didn't provide specifics.
Employees of the group home, which is set back on private property at the end of a residential street, asked an AP reporter to leave the grounds and said they would be releasing a statement later.