Woman pulled from vehicle after crashing into gas station off Rankin Bridge

A woman is now in the hospital after she crashed into the front of a local business during rush-hour traffic on Wednesday morning in Whitaker Borough. 

The car came flying off the Rankin Bridge, through the barrier, and through the front of Bob's Autotorium. 

"Poor Bob, he's always fixing this gas station up," said Melcia Chapman, whose wife works at the store. 

This is not the first time a vehicle has slammed into the gas station just off the Rankin Bridge. In 2021, the owner, Bob Ackerman, told KDKA-TV that nine vehicles had crashed into his business in a span of six years. 

"The speed limit on the bridge is 25 mph; no one goes 25 mph. If they would even maintain 35 mph, it would be OK. You can't go 70 or 80 on the bridge and expect to turn when you get to the end," Ackerman said.  

Just before 6 a.m., the Whitaker fire chief said a woman going at a high rate of speed, with no sign of turning or stopping, smashed into the building, saying it looked to be going "at least 60 or 70." 

Chapman said when she didn't hear from her wife, she decided to stop by the store to make sure everything was OK. 

"I'm real concerned, she's not answering her phone, so I just happened to come past and see if everything is OK, and seen it like this," Chapman said. 

The chief told KDKA-TV that a woman had to be cut out of the car, and the entire top of the car had to be cut off, as well. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they are now investigating, but added that the woman only suffered minor injuries. 

"Slow down, y'all, please," Chapman said. "If you drinking and driving, don't get into the car, catch an Uber, catch a Lyft, save your life, save somebody else's, save the front, because people ain't got money like that to keep rebuilding what y'all messing up." 

The restoration company at the scene said they will have it boarded up today, and completely redone, hopefully, in the next few months.