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Two dead after 2-vehicle crash in Summit Township

Fire crews worked to rescue a motorist trapped in a car following a two-vehicle crash on Route 68 in Summit Township Thursday afternoon.

SUMMIT TWP — Two men were killed Thursday after the vehicles they were driving collided on Route 68, a deputy county coroner said.

State police identified the men as Jacob Bowser, 19, of East Brady, and James Hipple, 50, of Sligo, Pa.

Both men died Thursday, according to Butler County Deputy Coroner Larry Barr, despite furious efforts by good Samaritans and emergency responders called to the scene.

Passersby stopped to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on one man who was wedged under the dashboard of his Dodge Ram pickup following the head-on crash just after 2 p.m. in Summit Township, neighbors said.

Volunteer firefighters worked feverishly to rescue the other man who was trapped in the wreckage of his Chevrolet Impala.

Ambulances eventually took both men to Butler Memorial Hospital. At least one medical helicopter was called but it was unknown if either man was later transferred to another hospital for further treatment.

The accident reconstruction team was on scene but an investigating trooper released no information. He said police were still trying to find anyone who witnessed the wreck and determine which way the vehicles were traveling.

Neighbors said they didn't see the crash that happened between Sullivan Road and Linwood Drive but they heard it.

“It was like a big smash, crash,” said Chris Matthews, who lives just down the road.

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