PENN TWP — Police are investigating a deadly one-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon on Route 8 that claimed the life of a poplar Knoch High School student.

A second Knoch student, the driver, was injured but not seriously, authorities said.

Cameron J. Ashton, 16, of Penn Township likely died instantly after he was thrown out of the Jeep he was riding in about 3:15 p.m., said Butler County Deputy Coroner Larry Barr.

He was a junior at Knoch.

The vehicle, driven by Dalton M. Baumler, 16, of Saxonburg, also a junior, was traveling south when it veered off the southbound lane, said Penn Township police.

“The driver came back onto the road and then cut the steering wheel to the right again and lost control,” according to the police report.

The vehicle rolled over and hit the side of the McBride Station Bar and Grill. The Jeep, after hitting the building, ended on its roof, blocking both southbound lanes.

Emergency crews found Cameron’s body up against the building. He apparently was not wearing a seat belt.

Barr pronounced him dead about 4:30 p.m. An autopsy determined the boy died of severe injuries to the head and chest.

Dalton was able to get out of the vehicle on his own. He apparently was wearing a seat belt.

When paramedics arrived, they found him seated inside the building. He was later taken by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Authorities believe the boys were headed home from the Butler County Vocational-Technical School in Butler Township, where they attended, when the crash happened.

Cameron was enrolled in the computer science program at the vo-tech. His family said he enjoyed gaming on his computer and was aspiring to become a video game programmer.

Serena Skelley, whose family owns McBride Station, said she called 911 after people inside the building heard a loud thud and went outside to find the crashed Jeep.

Skelley said that there have been countless accidents on Route 8 southbound in that area. This was not the first time that a vehicle had hit their building or sign after veering off the road, she said.

The wreck restricted traffic on the road to one lane in each direction for more than two hours.

Middlesex Township police assisted at the scene and a state police reconstruction unit also was called.

South Butler School District Superintendent David Zupsic in a statement issued this morning expressed shock and sadness at the death.

“(Cameron) was loved and respected by teachers and students,” at the school.

He noted that the boy participated in the Computer Networking and Telecommunications program at the vo-tech school, and was a member of the district’s football and wrestling teams.

“The loss will have a great impact on the school community,” Zupsic’s statement read. “Cameron will be remembered as a great young man who enjoyed life and loved making people laugh.

“He was hard-working, kind-hearted, and always greeted people with a smile. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Zupsic said that the district is providing counseling services to high school and middle school students needing “comfort and support.”

The superintendent also expressed concern for Baumler.

“We will be reaching out to Dalton’s family to offer continued support and assistance during this difficult time” Zupsic said in the statement.