Penn Hills High School teacher dies in crash on Parkway East
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The medical examiner was called after a car crashed off the Parkway East, plummeting down a hill and landing in a creek.
PennDOT said around 9 a.m. Friday that eastbound I-376 was reduced to a single lane of traffic at the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Around 11 a.m., PennDOT said the Parkway East was back open.
WATCH: Ross Guidotti Reports
KDKA-TV's Ross Guidotti reported from the scene that the SUV was coming out of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel when it went over a hillside near the Commercial Street Bridge and landed several hundred feet down into Nine Mile Run.
What was hoped to be a rescue turned into a recovery mission. State police brought in a massive crane to remove the vehicle.
The crash scene was initially inaccessible by vehicle. Heavy equipment doing work under the bridge helped in making a makeshift path down to where the sedan was located with the driver dead inside.
It took hours before the vehicle was lifted from the creek bed.
The victim of the crash was Josh Willy, a teacher at Penn Hills High School.
Willy had been with the district for more than 20 years and served as a social studies teacher.
"Josh was a deeply valued colleague and his tragic passing is felt by all of us," said Superintendent John Mozzocio in a statement. "He was a wonderful teacher of AP World History and Honors Civics, and his work with our high school gifted students was exceptional. Please keep Josh's family, friends, colleagues, and students in your thoughts and prayers."
In December of 2023, a vehicle did nearly the same thing in the same place, killing the driver. The driver in that incident suffered a medical emergency.
Aaron Birdy from Pittsburgh was one of the many who came by to check out what was going on. He says he's driven over the bridge countless times.
"I can't imagine what happened. It's a tragedy," said Birdy.
An investigation into what led up to the crash is ongoing.