4 inured in Parkway West fatal crash released from hospital; no charges filed
Four people injured Tuesday in a Parkway West crash that killed a woman have been released from local hospitals, state police said.
Victoria Elizabeth Brandt, 19, a college student from South Park, died from her injuries.
She was one of four occupants in a silver Honda Civic about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when the driver, Aaron Hutchison, 18, of Carnegie, was speeding on the parkway and attempted to switch lanes near the Carnegie interchange before crashing into a car, police said. A tractor-trailer swerved while trying to avoid the collision and hit a separate vehicle.
The chain-reaction crash shut down eastbound lanes of Interstate 376 for several hours.
Hutchison fled the crash site on foot but was found at a nearby gas station, state Trooper Melinda S. Bondarenka said.
Hutchison had serious injuries and was treated at a hospital, Bondarenka said. He has since been released.
Two other passengers riding in the Civic were injured and taken to hospitals, Bondarenka said. A fourth person riding in a different vehicle also treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The drivers of the tractor-trailer and a truck involved in the four-vehicle crash were not injured.
Bondarenka said Hutchison has not been charged.
The crash remains under investigation.
Brandt died at the hospital at 3 p.m., about a half-hour after the crash, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Brandt had just graduated from South Park High School last year.
The school issued a statement Wednesday: “The board of directors, administration, faculty and staff of the South Park School District are saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Victoria Brandt, a 2018 South Park High School graduate. We send our sincere condolences to Victoria’s family and friends during this difficult time. Our high school guidance counselors are available to speak with any student who may need support.”
Brandt was a general studies major at Community College of Allegheny County’s South Campus.
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