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Butler County car crash kills 2 boys
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In one of many accidents Wednesday, crews try to recover a truck that skidded off Route 422 westbound near Butler. The road was closed until the accident was cleared.
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A crash caused by icy road conditions claimed the lives of two boys in Butler County on Wednesday morning, state police said.
It was one of dozens of accidents across the region caused by rain showers that froze on contact with subfreezing surfaces.
The one-vehicle crash occurred on Lower Harmony Road a half-mile west of Route 528 in Connoquenessing Township at about 10:30 a.m., state police Lt. Eric Hermick said. Killed were Liam Bintrim, 3, and Declan McCullough, whose first birthday would have been Friday.
Police said their mother, identified as Elisabeth A. McCullough, 32, of Harmony, lost control of her 2004 Dodge Durango on a long downhill stretch on fresh asphalt that had completely glazed over.
The vehicle left the road on the wrong side, traveled about 81 feet, veered back across, hit an embankment and toppled slightly before slamming into a tree that collided with the rear seating area.
"Both boys were properly seat-belted and restrained," Lt. Hermick said. The mother was not injured.
A spate of crashes that started just after rain moved in and froze on contact put Butler County "in turmoil," he said. "We had cars going everywhere."
National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said surfaces in some low-lying areas were cold enough to freeze, even though air temperatures were generally above freezing.
As of noon, most of the showers had moved out of the Pittsburgh area, giving way to partial sunshine and temperatures in the 40s.
Motorists reported icy pavement Wednesday morning on Interstate 79 between Portersville and Zelienople and on Route 28 near Tarentum.
"There are multiple, multiple crashes all over the county," said Steve Bicehouse, Butler County director of emergency services.
One crash on Route 422 closed the road for a time in both directions from Heist to Carbon Center roads in Summit, Butler County, said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokeswoman Deborah Casadei. It reopened by afternoon, but the westbound side was closed for a time between Route 8 and Route 356.
Multiple crashes also occurred in Armstrong and Clarion counties, she said.
Route 286 was closed in Montgomery, Indiana County, by a crash with a fuel spill near Bennett Road. Eastbound Interstate 80 was closed from Sigel-Brookville to Hazen by a multivehicle crash. Traffic was forced to exit at Sigel-Brookville and follow a detour until afternoon, when one eastbound lane reopened.
First Published January 10, 2013 12:00 am
