2 hurt in near head-on crash
PENN TWP — Two Butler area men were seriously injured when vehicles they were driving collided on busy Route 8 during Friday morning's rush hour commute, authorities said.
The violent, near head-on collision stalled traffic in both directions and left car parts strewn on and off the road. The force of the crash even ripped the battery from the engine of one of the vehicles and hurled it 20 feet or so.
State police identified the drivers as Thomas J. Rodgers, 51, and Korrey N. Kuminkoski, 22.
Both men were taken by ambulance to nearby Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport where medical helicopters flew them to Pittsburgh hospitals.
Police Cpl. Jacob Jesse described the injuries as “major and significant” but not life threatening.
One of the drivers reportedly broke both legs, according to emergency responders, and needed surgery.
Investigators said Rodgers was traveling south on Route 8 just north of the Mars Bank branch when he apparently swerved his Ford Explorer, then possibly overcorrected and collided with Kuminkoski's northbound Cadillac CTS.
The sport utility vehicle rolled onto its driver's side in the middle of the southbound lanes and the car ended on the grass on the west side of the highway across from Frank J. Zottola Construction.
Emergency crews got there and found both men still in their vehicles. It took volunteer firefighters between 30 and 40 minutes to extricate one of the drivers from the wreckage.
Both men were wearing seat belts. Rodgers and Kuminkoski were flown to Allegheny General Hospital and UPMC Presbyterian, respectively, authorities said.
John Zottola arrived for work at his cousin's business just after the wreck. He said he could hear “moaning” coming from the crash scene.
Next to the construction firm, Matthew Duggan was teaching a class at Butler Yoga Works at the Integrative Health Center when he apparently heard the crash.
“It sounded like a loud boom,” he said, “like someone dropped something.”
But he assumed the noise was from something falling over at the physical therapy business next door at the health center.
