Two killed in Route 119 accidents
UPPER TYRONE TWP. – State police are speculating that fog may have contributed to an early morning accident along Route 119 that killed two men and injured another man. Dale L. Wienskovich, 46, of Springdale, the driver of a 2001 Chevrolet pickup, and his passenger, Joshua Griffith, 21, also of Springdale, were pronounced dead at the scene by Fayette County Deputy Coroner Rodd Durbin.
The driver of the Greif Brothers Corp. tractor-trailer involved in the accident, Frank R. Farkas, 46, of Claysville was transported to Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant where he was treated for minor injuries.
Anthony P. Spin, Greif Brothers human resource administrator for the Washington-based paper products producer, said conversations with Farkas indicated he would be released from the hospital.
“He was shaken up, but he’s alright,” said Spin, noting that Farkas had worked for the company for several years, but declined to detail his destination Thursday.
According to state police Cpl. Robert Caldwell, the tractor-trailer was stopped in the right southbound lane at the Route 119 and McClure Road intersection waiting for the signal to change from red to green, when the Chevrolet pick-up truck slammed into the rear of the trailer.
“Fog could have been a contributory factor (to the collision),” said Caldwell.
The impact caused the front end of the pick-up truck to slide underneath the trailer.
Caldwell said skid marks at the scene indicated the truck was traveling at approximately 50 mph when the 7:15 accident occurred.
Brandon Lewandowski heard the impact and immediately knew that another accident had taken place at the intersection, just a few hundred yards from his residence.
“I heard the bang and figured it was going to be a bad accident,” he said.
Lewandowski said he walked to the scene just as emergency crews were arriving and saw the mangled sheet metal of the pick-up truck.
“I didn’t want to get too close. I didn’t want to see it,” he said, adding that visibility was still limited despite the hour.
“It was really foggy,” he said.
Lewandowski said many accidents, some with only injuries and others with fatalities, have happened at the intersection since the signal has been installed.
The state transportation department installed the traffic signal in 2000, after numerous accidents had taken place at the intersection. The site is used as an entrance and exit for employees of Williamhouse, an envelope-producing company along Route 119.
Valerie Petersen, spokeswoman for PennDOT, said the signals were placed at the intersection to deter “angle” accidents that take place when traffic crosses over lanes of travel, not rear-end or head-on collisions.
According to the most current department records, in 2001 three rear-end accidents have taken place at the intersection and one “angle” accident.
A sign prior to the intersection alerts drivers to the upcoming traffic signals.
Southbound traffic along Route 119 was detoured along Route 819 until mid-afternoon.
In addition to state police from the Uniontown and Belle Vernon barracks, emergency crews from Scottdale, Bullskin and Everson volunteer fire companies and Mutual Aid Ambulance Service responded to the scene.