Crime & Safety

Traffic Blotter: Two Drivers Lose Control of Vehicles on Wet Roads

Northern Regional Police Department provided the following information.

Two drivers lost control of their vehicles on wet roads April 21 in separate accidents in Pine Township, police report.

  • William Aul, 19, of Allison Park, hit two road signs and a tree about 7 p.m. when he lost control of his 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 as he negotiated a curve on Warrendale Road near Pine Park Drive, police said.
  • George Kratsas, 68, of Lower Burrell was negotiating a curve on Bakerstown Road about 4:45 p.m. when his 2006 Cadillac spun out of control, traveled up an embankment and through the lawn of 5030 Bakerstown Road, crossed the driveway and stopped when it struck a large tree, police said.

“This area has been the scene of numerous accidents in the past when the roadway is wet,” the police report noted.

Both vehicles were towed.

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Driver Loses Control of Car When Avoiding Deer

A 20-year-old Gibsonia man was ejected from his Toyota Corolla about 12:15 a.m. April 16 when his car went out of control on Grubbs Road in Richland Township, according to

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Daniel J. Leya-Warnock reported no injuries after the accident between Four Wheel Drive Lane and Bakerstown Road, police said.

He told police he was traveling south on Grubbs Road when a deer ran onto the road and he tried to avoid striking it, the police report states.

“He then lost control of the vehicle, sending the vehicle sideways and traveling across the northbound lane of traffic, then to the left side of the roadway," the report states.

The car's passenger side struck a tree, then the rear-end hit another tree, police said.

"Daniel stated that at some point during impact with the trees, he was ejected from the vehicle through the driver side door,” according to the report.

His Toyota then traveled across both lanes and into the front yard of 5600 Grubbs Road, where it stopped at a bush or tree, said police.

responded to the accident.

 

Rear-End Collisions Reported

Numerous rear-end collisions were reported throughout the Pine-Richland community.

  • Tuyetanh Thi Pham, 32, of Wexford told police she was traveling north on Village Run Road, approaching the Wallace Road intersection in Pine Township, when her foot slipped off the brake pedal, causing her Toyota Highlander to crash into the rear of a Honda about 9 p.m. April 21, according to a Northern Regional police report.

The driver of the Honda Accord, 41-year-old Domenic Costanza, of Wexford, was stopped at a red traffic signal, the report states.

  • A 17-year-old from Gibsonia ran into the back of a Jeep about 3:10 p.m. April 20 on Route 910 in Richland Township, said police.

The Jeep's driver, 19-year-old Jessica Patrick, of Coraopolis, told police she hit her brakes hard when another vehicle ahead of her stopped suddenly to turn left onto Allison Road, according to the police report.

The 17-year-old told police she was unable to stop in time, the report states.

  • Richland EMS transported a 34-year-old New Kensington man to UPMC St. Margaret Hospital after an April 18 rear-end collision, police said.

Aloysius Glasser's condition was not listed in the report.

His Nissan Versa was stopped on Route 910/Gibsonia Road about 6 p.m., waiting for another vehicle to make a left onto Allison Road, when he was hit from behind by a large Navistar truck, said police.

The truck driver, 45-year-old James Kirschmann Jr., of New Kensington, told police he did not see the stopped traffic when he rounded the bend and was unable to slow his vehicle in time, according to the police report.

  • A 17-year-old Gibsonia resident ran into the back of a Lexus, which then was pushed into a Chevrolet Malibu about 3 p.m. April 18 on Bakerstown Road, police said.

Police identified the Lexus driver as 18-year-old Rachel O'Connor and the Chevolet driver as 26-year-old Amber Fritz. Both are from Gibsonia.

Fritz was stopped on eastbound Bakerstown Road, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so she could turn left onto Old State Road, when the collision occurred, said police.

  • Vanessa Mutschler, 24, of Pittsburgh, ran into the back of an Acura on northbound Route 19 when she looked down to see a text message on her phone about 3 p.m. April 17, according to a Northern Regional police report.

The Acura driver, 46-year-old Carolyn Lemon, of Beaver Falls, said she was stopped in heavy traffic between Fieldview and Maple drives when the collision occurred, police said.

 

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