5 people, including infant, killed in Fayette County crash
FARMINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- Five people, including an infant, are dead after a crash in Fayette County on Tuesday afternoon, state police said.
The crash involving two vehicles and a tractor-trailer happened on Route 40 in Wharton Township, Farmington, around 2 p.m., according to county 911.
Five people were killed, including an infant, state police said. All of them were in the same car. Two people in the other vehicle and the truck driver have minor injuries.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the coroner identified the victims as 55-year-old Harold Nibert, 47-year-old Bradley Thivener, 36-year-old Krystal May, 33-year-old Amanda Dawson and 7-month-old Kullen Dawson. The coroner said Nibert was driving. All of the victims were from the Delaware, Ohio area and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The coroner said Nibert was driving eastbound when his black Honda Accord crossed the double-yellow line and hit the tractor-trailer driver head-on.
"The investigation is extremely active right now. We have our collision analysis and reconstruction specialists on scene. They're reconstructing the whole scene to determine what happened. At this time, we don't know what occurred, and they're in an active investigation as we speak," said Trooper Kalee Barnhart on Tuesday.
According to PennDOT, the crash shut down Route 40 in both directions between the intersection of Route 381 and the intersection of Dinner Bell 5 Forks Road and Dinner Bell Ohiopyle Road. It reopened around 7 p.m.
"This is a very dangerous road," said Stacy Kenes, who lives in the area and heard Tuesday's crash.
Sources told KDKA-TV that a witness told police that the driver of the Honda made an illegal pass before the crash and speed may have been a factor.
Last year, two people died and several others were hurt in a two-car crash near Nemacolin resort on Labor Day weekend.
Kenes said something needs to change.
"I'm scared to death," she said.