1 Dead In Westmoreland Co. Crash
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – One person was killed in a Thursday morning accident in Westmoreland County.
According to officials at the scene, the accident happened at the intersection of Route 30 and Possum Hollow Road in Hempfield Township around 9 a.m.
The accident involved a tri-axle dump truck and another vehicle.
The driver of the dump truck, David Trueman, said he was traveling west on Route 30 when a Chevrolet Cavalier traveling east came through the intersection and hit him.
"When he hit me, the truck immediate broke into flames and I was no longer able to control the brakes or the steering because he hit the left-front corner and immobilized the steering system. The car drifted toward the center lane and came to a stop and was more involved - more engulfed in flames at that point in time. I saw the victim who was laying out in the road, and there were several people that were, I guess, attempting to see what condition he was in and it was apparent to them that it was a fatality," Trueman said.
The driver of the Cavalier was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:40 a.m.
He has been identified as 22-year old Jeffery Horner Jr., 22, of Irwin. According to the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office, Horner died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Police say Horner had a rough morning. He was involved in an apparent hit-and-run when he dropped his girlfriend off at work, which led to an argument.
"He was hitting my head against the passenger-side door, and then he threw me out of the car… then I called the cops, and he was already gone, and then we were told this happened," said Casandra Dunseath, Horner's fiancée.
The two was set to be married in February and were expecting a child in June.
Route 30 was closed in both directions after the crash, but the eastbound lane was reopened shortly before noon.
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