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Crash victim identified

MIDDLESEX TWP — Authorities have released the name of the man who died in an accident on Route 8 Wednesday morning.

Kristofer Schmitt, 57, of Butler died shortly after his Honda Fit was struck by a tractor trailer and then pickup truck, Deputy Coroner John Hanovick said.

Schmitt was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car, Hanovick said. He performed an autopsy Wednesday afternoon and ruled the cause of death to be head and chest injuries.

The accident happened shortly before 8 a.m. on Route 8 near the intersection with Cruikshank Road.

Police believe a tractor trailer driving northbound crossed into southbound traffic. The Honda, a pickup truck and another car that were all traveling southbound were involved in the crash. The tractor trailer ended up down an embankment.

Two of the other drivers were injured, though police have yet to release their names.

The tractor trailer, owned by DTA LP of Kennerdell, Venango County, was hauling coal, which police determined was non-toxic. A man who answered the phone at the company’s garage declined to comment.

As of 4:15 p.m., Route 8 was still closed in both directions between Cruikshank and Old Route 8, with blockades also set up for southbound traffic at the intersection with Dinnerbell Road in Penn Township.

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