Man injured when SUV smashes into building
Icy roads and alcohol were possible factors in an early morning crash that sent one man to the hospital after his sport utility vehicle slammed into a building on Route 8 in Middlesex Township, authorities said.
The driver, Adam Noel, 35, of Claridge, Westmoreland County, suffered an unknown head injury in the wreck around 12:10 a.m. Sunday. He was taken by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. His condition was not available.
Noel was traveling north on Route 8 when he lost control of his 2001 Toyota RAV 4 at the Old Route 8 intersection, Middlesex Township police said. There was freezing rain, and police described the roads as “slippery” at the time.
The vehicle went off the right side of the road and over a small patch of grass, hit a concrete curb and traveled over a portion of the parking lot and into the building, according to police from Middlesex and Penn townships.No one was in the building owned by United Mining Equipment. The company apparently is using the building for storage. It sits about 30 feet off the road.“The (SUV) hit a concrete pillar holding up the porch roof and a big picture window in the front of the building facing Route 8, but nothing collapsed,” said Middlesex Township police Sgt. Randy Davison.The front end of the vehicle entered the building constructed of decorative concrete block. Both front air bags in the SUV deployed. It was not immediately known if Noel was wearing a seat belt.Police said they spoke to another motorist who was traveling behind the SUV and saw the crash.Middlesex Township volunteer firefighters had to use a hydraulic tool to pop open the driver's door to get Noel out. He struck his head in the wreck, police said, but he was conscious and talking.“He had a big goose egg on his forehead and some blood on his face,” Davison said.It was unknown if the driver had any other injuries. A Quality Ambulance crew tended to him before he was taken to the hospital.A representative of the company later showed up at the scene in response to a security alarm.
The SUV was “totaled,” police said. Although damaged, authorities said, the building appeared to be “structurally safe.”The roads were so slick from a coating of ice that at times just walking was a challenge. Penn Township police Cpl. Jack Ripper acknowledged that he nearly fell twice while he assisted at the scene.Police said they were investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the wreck.Davison said his investigation is continuing, and police would seek a search warrant for Noel's medical records, including blood samples and associated toxicology reports.Sunday's wreck came nearly nine months after a car crashed into another Route 8 building — which then housed the CoGos store — on the opposite end of Middlesex Township, killing two passengers and injuring the driver.Diane E. Read, 37, of Middlesex Township on Wednesday waived her preliminary hearing on two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and other charges stemming from the crash on May 17, 2020.
