Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. has identified the victim of yesterday’s fatal crash and fire in Home as 52-year-old Melissa Ann Myers of Commodore.
It happened at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Myers was an employee of Pikels Top Tier Fuels service station, working inside the gas station when a northbound vehicle on Route 119 left the highway, jumped a curb, plowed over a fuel pump, and crashed into the building. The building burst into flame and Myers was trapped inside.
Overman says the cause and manner of death are still pending.
State police still have not publicly identified the two men inside the vehicle. One was taken into custody at the scene. The other had fled on foot, but state troopers from the Punxsutawney barracks took him into custody later in the afternoon. Police are still investigating to determine who was driving the car, and are withholding the names of the two men due to the potential for criminal prosecution.
The Pikels building at the intersection of Routes 119 and 85 was severely damaged. The entrance to Route 85 was closed for hours after the crash, while traffic was diverted into a single lane on Route 119.
Photo provided by Marion Center Volunteer Fire Department
