8 children, 3 adults hurt in wrong-way crash on Route 28
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Nearly a dozen people were taken to the hospital after a wrong-way crash on Route 28 in Shaler Township.
The crash happened between Millvale and Etna late Monday night. Shaler Police Chief Sean Frank said three adults and eight children were rushed to hospitals by multiple EMS agencies with minor injuries.
"I think it was luck. There was significant damage to the vehicles but with today's vehicles there's a lot of safety aspects with the airbags, side airbags, and all of those were deployed in both vehicles," Chief Frank said.
He said the woman was driving a minivan with eight children, ages 1 to 11, when she was heading northbound in the southbound lanes and crashed into another vehicle head-on. The chief said at least four of the children did not have seat belts on. The other vehicle had two adults inside.
"Information is that the driver going the wrong way wasn't familiar with the area and made a wrong turn and ended up going the wrong direction," Chief Frank said.
Police found no signs that either driver was impaired. Chief Frank said the woman behind the wheel of the minivan did not have a Pennsylvania driver's license.
They think she entered Route 28 by driving onto one of two off-ramps in Millvale.
"It's a shame but it happens, people just need to pay more attention," said Todd Tyland, a Millvale resident.
Some residents in the borough think the several do not enter signs should be enough to alert a driver.
"I think they are enough. I think a lot of times people don't pay attention. The person could have been playing on their phone and if you're using GPS, it's not going to take you that way," Tyland said.
Chief Frank said they responded to wrong-way drivers on Route 28 from time to time.
"It's not a weekly occurrence but I think a few times a year we have wrong-way drivers there," Frank said.
Shaler Hampton EMS coordinated with multiple EMS agencies and initiated a "mass casualty incident" response because of the number of people who needed to go to the hospital.
"We're just happy no one was seriously injured," said Chief Frank.
He said charges are pending against the wrong-way driver, which will be summary violations for driving in the wrong direction and having unrestrained passengers.