Tractor-trailer driver charged with homicide by vehicle in fatal Westmoreland County school van crash
A tractor-trailer driver was charged with homicide by vehicle after police said he ran a red light and killed a school van driver in Westmoreland County last year.
The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said 23-year-old Isaac Stemple of West Virginia ran a red light at the intersection of Route 22 and Route 819 in Salem Township last March, killing 60-year-old Rene Davis and sending the 17-year-old driver of another car to the hospital.
According to the district attorney's office, Rene Davis, a driver for the Greensburg Salem School District, and the teenage driver were in the middle of the intersection when Stemple ran a steady red light and hit them both. Davis, who was the only one in the school van, died from multiple blunt force injuries, the DA's office said. The teenager was taken to the hospital.
Police said Stemple told troopers that the sun was in his eyes and he couldn't see what color the traffic signal was. However, troopers said a 10-second dash cam video from inside his truck showed a steady red signal, and while one of the traffic lights was obscured by a sun glare, the other two red traffic signals were visible.
Stemple was arraigned on charges of homicide by vehicle, reckless endangerment and 10 summary offenses. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail. He's expected to be back in court for a preliminary hearing in March, the district attorney's office said.