HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA — Two people died after a vehicle went off a bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and burst into flames Wednesday, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers and state police.
The crash happened around 4:51 p.m. on Interstate 76 in Hempfield Township. Officials said the driver lost control before the vehicle struck the Route 136 and Greensburg Road bridge abutment and caught fire.
A passing driver saw the wreck and the flames and alerted dispatchers. When fire crews put out the blaze, they found two people dead inside the vehicle.
Coroner identifies the victims after the fire is extinguished
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said the people who died were 23-year-old Ashton Steedle of Rostraver Township and 20-year-old Brody Kimmel of West Newton.
Authorities have not yet released the cause and manner of death. Those findings remain pending as investigators continue to piece together what happened in the moments before the crash and fire.
The coroner’s office was called to the scene shortly after the crash was reported, as emergency crews worked to secure the area and recover the victims.
State police say the vehicle hit a bridge abutment before burning
According to a Pennsylvania State Police report, the vehicle left the roadway and hit the bridge structure before igniting. Officials have not said what caused the driver to lose control.
The crash happened in a busy transportation corridor that carries traffic along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, making the scene especially visible to passing motorists. The flames were intense enough that a driver on the road behind the crash called for help.
Police said the fire was ultimately put out by crews who responded to the scene, but the vehicle was badly damaged in the blaze.
Witnesses helped alert emergency responders to the deadly scene
The coroner’s report said the first notice of the crash came from a passing driver who saw the vehicle go off the bridge and then saw the fire erupt. That call helped bring emergency responders to the location quickly.
Witness accounts are often important in serious highway crashes because they can help investigators reconstruct how a collision unfolded. In this case, police are still trying to determine the sequence of events that led to the vehicle leaving the turnpike and striking the abutment.
Officials have not publicly described the weather, road conditions, or whether any other vehicles were involved.
Investigators are asking witnesses to contact the New Stanton station
State troopers are investigating the crash and are asking anyone who saw it to contact the New Stanton station at 724-755-9463.
Police have not announced any charges or said whether speed, distraction, mechanical problems, or another factor may have played a role. The crash remains under active investigation.
The coroner’s office and state police said the cause and manner of death are still pending, and more information may come once the investigation is further along.
Deadly turnpike crash closes a difficult evening for crews in Westmoreland County
The wreck added to a tragic evening for emergency crews working in Westmoreland County, where responders had to deal with a car fire after a high-speed roadway crash on a major interstate route.
For the families of the two men killed, the incident has left unanswered questions about how the vehicle went off the bridge and why the fire spread so quickly after impact.
WTAE reported that the story was developing as investigators continued working to learn more about the deadly crash and its aftermath.
