VICTIM OF FATAL CRASH NEAR SOUTH SIXTH STREET EXTENSION IDENTIFIED

UPDATE: As of 2:38 p.m.

Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. released the identity of the victim involved in a fatal crash Tuesday morning in White Township.

Overman said around 5:40 a.m., 22-year-old Kohl Michael Beatty of Indiana was driving south along South 6^th Street Extension when he rear-ended a Kenworth coal truck that was moving slowly due to a tree blocking the lane. Beatty succumbed to his injuries at the scene and Overman adds he was not wearing his seatbelt at the time. His official cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma.

Assisting the Indiana County Coroner’s Office were members of Indiana Fire Association, Homer City Fire Department, Citizens’ Ambulance, and state police.

UPDATE: As of 9:50 this morning, South 6th Street Extension has reopened.

WHAT WE FIRST REPORTED

One person has died in a vehicle accident this morning on South Sixth Street Extension.

The call was initially made for power lines down along the road at 5:48 AM, and one minute later, the vehicle crash was reported by first responders.  One person was found unresponsive in their car.  Indiana Fire Association Assistant Chief Ron Moreau confirmed that one person died in a crash as a car rear-ended a coal truck near the bottom of the hill before the bridge headed south.

Indiana fire crews were joined by Homer City fire department, Citizens’ Ambulance, State Police, electrical company crews and PennDOT on-scene.  South 6^th Street Extension is closed from Lucerne Road intersection to Route 56.  Traffic is being re-routed onto Route 119 and back onto 56.  The closure is expected to last a few hours.