HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — State police are investigating the cause of a fatal crash early Thursday morning in Hempfield Township.

It happened around 3:30 a.m. on Route 819.

Authorities say 30-year-old Lindsay Halliday of Mount Pleasant lost control of her Jeep Wrangler, ran off the road and the SUV rolled onto its roof.

“When she lost control, she struck a fire hydrant and that fire hydrant caused her vehicle to start to roll over,” State Trooper Steve Limani said.

Her passenger, 30-year-old Lauren Thompson, of Jeannette, was not wearing a seatbelt and was crushed by the Jeep. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Jeep, mangled in the crash, is now being held by State police. The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was not injured.

State police have reason to believe the girls had been drinking throughout the evening – one of several factors in the crash.

“There might have been some distracted driving, there might have been some distraction going on in the vehicle,” Limani said. “When it comes to changing CDs or things of that nature – that was probably what probably led to the crash.”

Thompson spent several years waitressing at Dino’s Sports Bar in Latrobe. Her former co-workers were stunned by the news.

“She was a good girl,” Dino DeCario, owner of Dino’s, said. “She always had a smile on her face, was just a happy person to be around.”

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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