Northbound lanes of Route 28 reopen after deadly pedestrian accident
One person has died after a pedestrian accident that closed the northbound lanes of Rt. 28 near Etna for several hours on Tuesday.
Allegheny County police confirmed that an adult male was found deceased at the scene after receiving reports of a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle. County police also confirmed the victim was the passenger inside the car.
Preliminary information shows the victim jumped from the moving vehicle before he was struck. All involved parties remained on scene and are cooperating with the investigation, according to a news release from county police.
Carie Visconti saw the investigation right outside her house on Ann Street. It sits within view of the Etna exit.
"That's bizarre. That's very bizarre. I can't even imagine why somebody would do that on a highway," Visconti said.
She'd seen incidents on Route 28 before, but nothing like this.
"I saw a pickup truck and a car just beyond that sign," she added.
PennDOT says the incident happened just north of the Etna interchange. Traffic was forced to exit Rt. 28 at Exit 4 (Etna).
"It was jammed packed all the way. I can't tell you how far down that way it was. All I can tell you is it was bumper-to-bumper as far as I could see here," Visconti said.
According to a news release from a PennDOT spokesperson, the northbound lanes reopened to traffic just after 10:30 a.m.
Investigators do not have a motive for why the man jumped from the moving vehicle. They say it's too early to know if there was foul play in the incident.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
