Man Confirmed Dead After Crash On Route 51 Near Streets Run Road
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One man is dead after a crash Saturday morning along Route 51 in the South Hills.
Reyon Harris, 21, of Charleroi died at Mercy Hospital at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Harris had been transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Five people were injured and are recovering.
According to Baldwin Police, two trucks hit each other head-on near the intersection of Streets Run Road. Chief Anthony Cortazzo said four of the five people injured were in stable condition and one was in critical condition. He believes everyone involved is under 35-years-old.
"Just by looking at it, it was a violent collision. One of the vehicles burst into flames because of the impact. The fire was put out on scene by first responders," Chief Cortazzo said at the scene.
He said everyone was able to get out and away from the truck that was on fire.
"The fire was not the result of injuries to anybody," he said.
Crews had the busy South Hills Road closed for about four hours to investigate. They do know one of the trucks had to have crossed the center line.
"Which vehicle is at fault the northbound or the southbound, we don't know that yet," Chief Cortazzo told KDKA.
Investigators said the truck headed toward Pittsburgh was only occupied by the driver. The other truck had four people inside.
The chief said it appeared that some of the people involved in the crash were not wearing seatbelts.
He said the road design with the center turning lane prevents head-on crashes like the one Saturday morning.
"So we don't have cars going side-by-side at high speeds, so to have accidents like this on this stretch of road is unusual for us," Chief Cortazzo said after investigating the crash.
Police are looking to find surveillance footage of the crash.
At this time they are still investigating. Charges could be filed following the investigation.
