4 dead in Route 30 head-on collision in North Huntingdon

Three members of the Vietnamese community in Westmoreland County who were returning home from a Lunar New Year Mass at a church in Pittsburgh were killed Sunday in a head-on collision along Route 30 in North Huntingdon, a friend of the victims said.

The three women died after their eastbound Honda CRV was hit head-on by a westbound car near the Jim Shorkey Mitsubishi dealership. They were identified as:

• Thu Thi Xuan Nguyen, 51, of Hempfield, the driver of the eastbound Honda CRV;

• Lan Thi Trinh, 67, of North Huntingdon, the front-seat passenger in the Honda;

• Phuongan Trinh Tran, 30, of North Huntingdon, a passenger in the back seat of the Honda.

A fourth victim of the crash was identified by North Huntingdon police as:

• Jeffrey Tomay, 44, of McKeesport, a front-seat passenger in a westbound Buick LeSabre.

Tomay and Nguyen were pronounced dead at the scene by the Westmoreland County coroner at about 7:36 p.m. The coroner said both victims died of blunt force trauma.

Tomay was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred, but Nguyen was wearing one, the coroner said.

Trinh and Tran were transported to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, where they died, police said. No information was available from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner as of late Monday afternoon.

North Huntingdon police said the Buick driven by Timothy A. Richardson, 31, of Trafford was headed west when it crossed the centerline of the highway about 6 p.m. and collided with the eastbound Honda. Richardson was transported to AHN Forbes Hospital, where he was treated for injuries.

Additional information was not available from police.

Heather Truong, a friend of the three women, said they were part of the Pittsburgh Vietnamese Catholics and had attended the special Lunar New Year Mass at Holy Wisdom Church on East Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side.

All three women immigrated from Vietnam, Truong said.

“It’s really hard,” Truong said of the tragedy. “They were part of the Vietnamese community in Pittsburgh.”

Horrific car crash on Rt 30 in North Huntington Twp. Multiple fire crews are on scene. Avoid Rt 30 if possible. #wpxi pic.twitter.com/jI1kStjbf4

— Ryan (@WPXIPhotogRyan) February 15, 2021

The Tribune-Review in 2017 conducted an analysis of Penn­DOT crash data and found Route 30 had more severe accidents than any other road in Westmoreland County.

Over a five-year period, Route 30 had 1,960 accidents and 55 severe accidents — both the highest in the county.

In 2018, a three-car crash on Route 30 near the intersection of Cherry Lane killed a North Huntingdon motorist. Local police and state transportation officials listed a lack of left-turn lanes and speeding as ongoing hazards for drivers on that roadway.

In 2019, PennDOT presented plans to increase safety on Route 30 by installing jersey barriers to separate the eastbound and westbound lanes from the western end of North Huntingdon to Route 48 in North Versailles.

The plan largely was panned at a public meeting by businesses and residents who would be forced to drive farther to their destination on the other side of the highway and make turns from what PennDOT refers to as jug handle, where a traffic signal allows for the safe crossing of the highway.

Former North Huntingdon commissioner Tony Martino, who serves as president of the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department in North Huntingdon, said he was not certain jersey barriers separating the traffic lanes is the answer, although they would prevent head-on collisions.

“I think it’s just the speed (of the vehicles) on Route 30,” Martino said. “It’s tough to regulate. You can’t have a (police) patrol car everywhere.”