Local Hospitals Respond To 60 Injured In Deadly PA Turnpike Crash

MONROEVILLE (KDKA) -- Forbes Hospital held a press conference at 2:30 p.m. Saturday to provide updates on the conditions of those injured by a deadly overnight crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The President of Forbes Hospital, Dr. Mark Rubino, said the hospital was notified about a "mass casualty event" around 4 a.m. involving a passenger bus just a few miles from the Donegal exit on the turnpike.

Trauma teams and emergency medical teams prepared to attend to the injured arriving in ambulances from the crash.

"Over approximately an hour, the first responders did amazing work by having to extract multiple patients, many of which were severely injured, and transport them to multiple hospitals, including Forbes Hospital with our designation and our capabilities as a trauma center," Dr. Rubino said.

Forbes Hospital treated 11 patients, two of whom were undergoing surgery at the time Forbes Hospital held the press conference. Rubino said that their surgeries would likely conclude within a few hours. Four patients are still undergoing treatment, and five had been discharged at that time. No patient from the crash has died at Forbes Hospital.

"The people coming in were not only physically injured but they were traumatized from a mental standpoint as well," said Dr. Rubino. "So we actually brought in some teams of social workers and psychologists really just to deal with that trauma as well."

Five died and 60 people were injured in the crash this morning. Those injured were sent to multiple different hospitals on a need-by-need basis.

Thirty one patients were taken to Excela Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, 27 of whom were treated and released in stable conditions. Three were transferred to UPMC Presbyterian, and one was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital. 18 people, including six children, were treated and released from UPMC Somerset.

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There was also reportedly a language barrier with a number of passengers speaking Spanish, but Forbes Hospital provided Spanish speaking nurses to some patients.

The bus, which was full, was heading to Cincinnati, Ohio. All the victims, including the deceased, have been cleared from the scene.