Police: Speed A Factor In Crash That Killed 2 Teens, Injured Another
GEORGES TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Two teenagers died in a crash in Fayette County Tuesday night, and a third teen was flown to the hospital with serious injuries.
The car the teens were in crashed along Route 119 (Morgantown Road) near Tent Church Road in Georges Township around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday.
Police say they believe the car was going in excess of 100 mph at the time of the crash.
"They were coming around the corner," said Collier Township VFD Chief Gary White, "and they say they overcompensated the corner and lost control of the vehicle, and went up on the embankment and hit the stone wall."
All three of the teens were wearing their seat belts and were trapped in the car when crews arrived.
"We arrived on scene to find a female patient entrapped in the vehicle. We did an extrication on her. We removed the rear door and got her out of the vehicle, " said Chief White. "Both the passenger up front and the driver were heavily entrapped when we arrived on scene."
The driver, Kyler Catlett, 17, of Smithfield, died at the scene, along with a Yolanda Jackson, 17, of Uniontown, who was in the front passenger seat.
The backseat passenger, Keristen Harris, 16, of Uniontown, was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. She was last listed in serious condition.
Chief White said she was conscious when they got her out of the car.
"They were nice, good kids. This is a shame this is happening. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news," Richie Williams said.
Williams worked with the three teens at a South Uniontown McDonald's. The teens were returning home after their shift at the restaurant when the crash happened.
He said Catlett was an outgoing person and that Jackson and Harris were kind and hard workers.
"It's just sad. They had their whole lives ahead of them," Williams said.
Catlett was a junior at Albert Gallatin High School. Today, Principal Jason Hutchinson said he found out about the accident shortly after it happened and immediately put plans in place to comfort the student body.
He said the news has already had a huge impact because of who Catlett was.
"Very vibrant young man, well-liked, well-rounded, talented, did very well in school as in other activities," Hutchinson said.
Catlett was also a standout performer at Myrna Harvey's School of Dance in Fairchance. His instructors and fellow students there were devastated when they heard the news.
"Our hearts are just broken," said dance school instructor Myrna Harvey Whitmarsh.
"You could ask anyone, any performance, he stood out, always. In the best way possible," said Avary Arnold, one of Catlett's friends. "
Meanwhile, Jackson and Harris attended Uniontown High School. Friends say Jackson was a good student, garnering high honors in the classroom.
"This is a difficult time for our students, staff and school community as we are dealing with the tragic events that have occurred," the school said in a statement.
Both high schools are providing grief counselors for students. However, they understand that the grieving process is a complicated one and that right now, the students may just need to rely on one another to get through this difficult time.
State Police in Uniontown are investigating the crash.
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