Oct 5, 2006 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

SMITHFIELD – An unidentified 45-year-old woman was killed Wednesday evening after the vehicle she was driving collided with another vehicle on Route 119 around 7 p.m. Fayette County Deputy Coroner Alvin Sapp pronounced the woman dead at the scene at 8:45 p.m.

Firefighters scrambled to free the woman from her vehicle to no avail.

The identity and condition of the driver of the other vehicle in the crash was not known as of press time.

Officials closed Route 119 at Smithfield Masontown Road for more than three hours as crews worked to free the victims in the 7 p.m. crash.

Emergency crews battled the weather at the crash site, as a steady downpour blanketed the region Wednesday night and were still on scene as of press time.

One emergency worker was injured when the vehicle she was standing in was struck by lightning while on the scene, causing her to fall from the vehicle.

Her condition and identity were not immediately known.

The accident occurred at the bottom of a hill where water had pooled because of the heavy downpour, but fire officials could not speculate if weather played a role in the crash.

Officials could not attempt to fly any patients by medical helicopter because of the storm.

Volunteer firefighters from Smithfield joined the state police, emergency personnel from Fairchance Fireman’s Ambulance and the coroner’s office at the scene.

No further details were available as of press time.