Police: Two killed, three hurt in accident near Logan Town Centre
Three cars crash by Logan Town Centre
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Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec / Firefighters work the scene of a multiple-vehicle accident on Osgood Drive near the Logan Town Centre on Tuesday evening. At least one person was killed and another seriously injured, police said.
Editor’s note: This article was updated Wednesday afternoon with the identities of those involved in the accident.
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Police have identified the drivers in Tuesday’s crash that claimed two lives in Logan Township.
The Rev. Jerry A. Hayward, 50, and his wife, Kathleen J. Hayward, 59, of Hollidaysburg, were killed when their 2009 Chevrolet HHR was struck head-on by a 1995 Jeep Chrokee driven by 30-year-old James M. McCleary.
Logan Township Police Chief Tim Mercer said Jerry Hayward was pronounced dead at the scene and Kathleen Hayward died at UPMC Altoona.
Police said while the investigation is ongoing and crash reconstructionists will be looking at all factors in the deadly crash, speed was likely a factor.
McCleary was driving south on Osgood Drive when he lost control of his SUV, which careened down the concrete median and ultimately slammed into the Haywards’ vehicle. McCleary suffered moderate injuries, police said.
McCleary’s Cherokee then became airborne and landed on the hood of a 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander being driven by 44-year-old Jennifer Kuhns of Altoona. Kuhns and her teenage son were both taken to UPMC Altoona for treatment.
"This is one of the more violent crashes that I've seen," Logan Township Police Chief Tim Mercer said at the scene, where car parts and broken glass were scattered across the roadway.
Mercer said the vehicles collided about 5:50 p.m., when the driver of a dark-colored Jeep traveling south on the road lost control "for unknown reasons" and moved across a median.
After "fishtailing," the Jeep rolled numerous times, heading toward vehicles that were traveling in the opposite direction, Mercer said.
The Jeep eventually landed on the front hood and windshield of a vehicle that Mercer described as a Chrysler PT Cruiser before rolling onto a third vehicle, which appeared to be a white van.
Though he could not be certain, Mercer said he believed a total of five people were inside the three vehicles.
"One individual in the crash is confirmed deceased," Mercer said, revealing another person was taken to UPMC Altoona with serious injuries.
The Jeep's driver, as well as two others in a separate vehicle, were also transported to the hospital by AMED responders, Mercer said.
"We did have some entrapment with at least the PT Cruiser," he said.
Mercer said he was unable to release the identities or genders of those involved in the crash. He also was unable to confirm what caused the accident.
Logan Township officers are to conduct an accident reconstruction at the crash site, and state police accident reconstruction experts were also contacted, Mercer said.
Shortly after 6 p.m., the Jeep's rear tire still rested on the hood of the white vehicle, and a red tarp was used to block spectators from viewing the front end of the PT Cruiser.
A large crowd gathered in the lot between Logan Town Centre and Osgood Drive. David Brunner was among those looking in disbelief at the site, which was illuminated by the red and white lights of ambulances and fire engines.
"That guy had to have been speeding," Brunner said.
Another spectator called out: "I can't even figure out how it all happened."
Across the street in Dairy Queen's parking lot, another small crowd gathered. The restaurant's manager, Shannon Himes, said she was one of the first people to see the crash after she was called by other employees.
"They came running, and they were like, 'Call 911,'" Himes said, explaining she ran over to the site and helped a man from his vehicle. "I had to try to do something. All I heard was him screaming: 'Help me. Get me out.'"
Himes said she visited another of the vehicles, but, when she looked inside, it was a gory scene.
Later, Himes said she sought comfort from a family member.
"I'm like, 'Oh my God, Gram. It's so bad,' Himes said of a conversation with her grandmother. "I
couldn't breathe. I've never seen something so bad."
Mercer said he didn't speak to Himes and was unable to confirm her story, though he spoke with other witnesses.
Mercer estimated the affected portion of Osgood Drive would be closed for several hours Tuesday, though motorists would have access to restaurants and businesses.
He said additional information likely wouldn't be available until today.