First responders work on getting into a vehicle involved in a head-on crash on Oneida Valley Road on Tuesday evening, Aug. 15, which killed one person. Crews were back out Wednesday morning for another crash that injured four people. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle
The state police have released the names of the two county residents killed Tuesday, Aug. 15, in a crash on Oneida Valley Road.
Hayden Ernest , 19, of Hilliards, and Jacqueline Rock, 32, of Chicora, were killed in the crash, and two passengers, Kimberly Berry, 41, of Boyers, and a 5-year-old boy who police didn’t name were both injured.
Crews responded to the head-on crash around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and to a second crash hours later on the same road, officials said.
Three helicopters transported three people from the scene of the head-on crash at Oneida Valley Road and Spillway Lane, Center Township. A landing zone was set up at the intersection.
According to Gary Wulff, chief of Oneida Valley Volunteer Fire Department, the crash occurred when a Chevrolet Cruze carrying three people was traveling northbound and crossed the center line, hitting a minivan. Wulff said only one person occupied the minivan.
A third vehicle, driven by John Relihan, 24, was also involved in the crash, according to police. He was not injured.
The car driven by Ernest crashed head-on into the one driven by Rock and was in turn hit from behind by the truck driven by Relihan, according to the crash report from the state police.
Crews had cleared the scene of the first crash at 11 p.m. Tuesday when they were asked to return around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Wulff said.
From the second crash, Wulff said three people were ejected from a vehicle and one was trapped in the vehicle.
“Everything’s kind of run together, I haven’t slept,” Wulff said Wednesday morning.
The second crash occurred a quarter of a mile from the intersection of Oneida Valley and Mahood roads in Oakland Township between a Jeep Liberty and a tractor trailer.
According to a crash report from state police, the Jeep was driven by Sara J. Brown, 20, of Butler. In her vehicle were three passengers: Clayton J. Snow, 20, of Butler, Benjamin H. Claypoole, 18, of Emlenton, and a 13-year-old boy from North Washington.
Police said Brown was traveling southbound on Oneida Valley Road when her vehicle crossed the center line. It then traveled over the white fog line, hitting an embankment and overturning in the northbound lane. A tractor trailer traveling in the northbound lane hit the Jeep, police said.
The tractor trailer then traveled into the southbound lane and hit a guard rail, documents showed. The driver was uninjured, police said.
Wulff said three of the four people occupying the Jeep were ejected from the vehicle and were laying in the road. It took first responders 15 minutes to extricate the fourth person from the vehicle. All of them were unconscious, he said.
The crash report showed that Claypoole and the 13-year-old were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. Claypoole was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh and the 13-year-old was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, documents showed.
Brown and Snow were taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh by ambulance for serious injuries, according to police.
Wulff said he’s used to responding to crashes on this road, but never back-to-back.
“It’s not usual to have two in a year this bad,” he said.
Oneida Valley Road was closed for police to investigate until about 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The Oneida Valley, West Sunbury and East Butler volunteer fire departments; state police; and Butler Ambulance Service responded to both crashes.
Unionville Volunteer Fire Company also responded to the first crash.
Karns City Regional Ambulance and East Butler Volunteer Fire Company ambulance also responded to the second crash.
