6 injured in crash that closes Route 136 in Hempfield
A young boy was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Thursday night, one of six people injured in a two-vehicle crash that shut down a portion of Route 136 in Hempfield for almost five hours, a fire official said.
The boy who was flown to Pittsburgh was in a car with four other occupants, Carbon Fire Chief George Reese said. Those four were transported to Excela Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg.
The female driver of the other vehicle also was transported to Excela, Reese said
The crash was reported at about 6:50 p.m. near Westmoreland County Memorial Park, according to a county 911 dispatcher.
Firefighters had to use a metal-cutting tool on the passenger side of the car to free the occupants, Reese said.
The car came to rest up against the guardrail, facing the wrong way in the westbound lanes.
The sport utility vehicle also ended up along a guardrail in the opposite lane of traffic.
The road was closed in both directions between Thomas School Road and South Greengate Road, and did not reopen until 11:50 p.m. Westbound traffic along Route 136 was diverted through Carbon and to Woodward Drive, where it reconnected with Route 136.
A state police accident reconstruction team investigated.
The Westmoreland County Animal Response Team was called to the scene to help an injured dog.
Additional details were not available late Thursday night.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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