Indiana County woman dead, child hurt in head-on crash along Route 217 in Derry Township

An Indiana County woman died and a 10-year-old child was flown to a hospital for treatment Monday after a head-on crash in Derry Township, officials reported.

Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Regina L. Endress, 49, of Josephine, Burrell Township, was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 217 near Barkley Road by Deputy Coroner Steven A. Whiteman.

The child, a passenger in a northbound Chevrolet Cruze driven by Endress, was taken by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, Carson said. The child’s condition wasn’t available.

Airbags were deployed when the Cruze was struck head-on by a southbound van, according to Carson. He said Endress was not wearing a seat belt.

The cause and manner of her death are pending further investigation and results of an autopsy.

State police from the Kiski Valley station also are investigating.

Eric Ehman, Endress’ brother, told TribLive news partner WTAE that his sister “was a loving mother and sister and will be missed by a lot of people.” He said she was “great at her job” as a teacher’s aide who worked with children with special needs.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether anyone else was injured.

Firefighters had to free the driver from the Chevrolet. The occupants of the van — a woman and two children who were secured in car seats — were able to exit the vehicle without assistance, according to Bradenville fire Chief Mark Piantine.

Blairsville firefighters established a landing zone for the helicopter at the Brenizer ball field, he said, while crews from PennDOT and Latrobe Fire Department assisted with traffic control.

A section of Route 217 near Route 22 was closed after the crash happened about 12:15 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said. The road reopened shortly before 6 p.m., Piantine said.