Deadly Crash Shuts Down Parkway North HOV Lanes
ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA)- The HOV lanes on the Parkway North were shut down early Tuesday morning, due to a fiery crash.
According to police, the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. near the Perrysville Avenue exit on Interstate 279.
State Police say the investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing, but identifying the victim and notifying the family is more important to them right now.
There was nothing that could be done for the driver, as a plume of smoke billowed from the crashed vehicle. The vehicle was so badly damaged that state police could only say it was possibly a Jeep Wrangler.
"Looking at the nature of the crash, which you guys were able to show video of, at this point in time, we're starting from scratch. All we know is we have one vehicle, and one individual in that vehicle," Trooper Robin Mungo said.
For state police, this is less about figuring out what happened and more about determining who died in the crash.
"We have a family out there who is without their loved one and we want to give them some comfort knowing that we were able to identify the body. We don't want anyone to linger and wonder why their loved one isn't home," Trooper Mungo said. "I guess there was a Penguins game yesterday and they keep those HOV lanes open until four-o'clock," Trooper Mungo said.
Investigators believe that he lost control and hit into a barrier, riding the jersey barrier before going airborne. He crashed into a grassy median and hit an overpass bridge before the vehicle caught fire.
Police are hoping to soon find out who was behind the wheel.
"We still need to confirm that vehicle by locating a VIN number on that vehicle and then, hopefully, that will help us identify who was operating that vehicle," Trooper Mungo said.
The overpass did not suffer any structural damage.
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