Three people were flown by medical helicopter following a crash Sunday morning on Interstate 70 in Rostraver, according to the Rostraver Central Fire Department.
Crews responded to the two-vehicle crash on the eastbound side of the Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge, also known as the Smithton high-level bridge, shortly before 10:30 a.m., a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said.
State police said a Volkswagen Cabrio driven by Robert K. Wilson, 59, of Washington, was traveling in the right lane when it was hit from behind by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Edward J. Karol, 34, of Monessen. Both cars went out of control onto the grass embankment and rolled over.
Wilson’s car stopped on the highway and Karol’s car hit a bridge abutment and went over the side of the bridge, police said. Both men were seriously hurt. A passenger in Wilson’s car had minor injuries, police said.
Fire department officials said in a Facebook post that crews extricated Karol and used a rope system to transfer him to EMS waiting on the Great Allegheny Passage. It was unclear how far the vehicle fell.
Three patients were transported by Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services and the Sewickley Township Community Ambulance Service to landing zones for transport by medical helicopter, officials with the fire department said.
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed between the Smithton and Route 51 exits for several hours. The road reopened shortly after 3 p.m., according to PennDOT.
Several volunteer fire departments assisted in the incident, including Smithton, Collinsburg, Turkeytown and Rostraver.
CLEARED: Multi vehicle crash on I-70 eastbound between Exit 46B – PA 51 North and Exit 49 – Smithton.
— 511PA Pittsburgh (@511PAPittsburgh) July 18, 2021
