Woman killed after vehicle catches fire following crash on Parkway East
A woman has died after her vehicle caught fire following a crash on the Parkway East early Monday morning.
Pennsylvania State Police troopers and other first responders were called around 5:30 a.m. to mile marker 73 on I-376 near the Hot Metal Bridge between the Oakland exit and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel for a two-vehicle collision.
Aerial footage from the KDKA Drone Team appeared to show two vehicles blocking the highway with heavy smoke pouring from one of them.
An investigation determined that an Infiniti sedan became disabled on the roadway. The driver stayed inside the car and turned on her car's four-way flashers.
A Ford F-150 traveling eastbound struck the sedan, which caused it to catch fire, police said. Witnesses told police the pickup changed lanes just before the crash.
"From early investigation with some key witnesses on scene, it did seem like a complete transition from one lane to another with that lack of visibility with that sedan," said Trooper Rocco Gagliardi.
The driver of the F-150 and other witnesses attempted to pull the woman from the burning vehicle, but the flames were too intense. The woman, later identified as 40-year-old Keturah Griffin, was declared deceased on scene by medical staff, while the truck driver was treated for minor injuries.
"Traffic was a complete standstill; you were getting around, so those first couple of cars that were in the mix that viewed that crash got out and tried to help," Trooper Gagliardi added. "At that time, the operator of the Ford F-150, with a couple of witnesses, which included two city of Pittsburgh detectives who were going to a separate call, were trying to pull that operator out of the vehicle," Trooper Gagliardi explained.
State police say Griffin was on the phone requesting a tow truck when the collision happened. At this time, police have not arrested the driver who hit her, but they say the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, state police say it's hard to determine if people should or should not stay in their vehicles if they are disabled on the road.
"It's just a really unlucky and unfortunate thing, and we're going to monitor the investigation to see if anything else kicks off, whether something else could have been a factor or not, but it's best to know where you are in location to the road. If you're stuck on the road, maybe it's best to abandon ship and get to a safer spot," Trooper Gagliardi said.
Eastbound and westbound I-376 were reopened to traffic in the area as of 10 a.m. Monday.