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A pair of accidents on I-99 early Monday morning left one person dead and his 8-year-old passenger with suspected serious injuries, according to state police.
The accident in Bedford County closed a portion of the highway as crews cleared the debris and police investigated.
According to police reports, Kevin W. Kutzler Jr., 38, of Cherry Tree, was operating a 1998 Jeep Wrangler north in the right travel lane about 5:15 a.m. when he traveled off the road at Mile Marker 4.7 in East St. Clair Township. Kutzler's vehicle struck the driver's side bumper of a 2008 Ford F550 that was parked along the berm.
After the impact, the Jeep spun to the right before overturning onto its roof. The vehicle slid on its roof and stopped in the right lane of travel facing south.
About five minutes later, a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe struck the disabled Jeep.
The driver of the Hyundai, Todd A. Edwards, 38, of Virginia Beach, Va., told police he saw debris on the road and a disabled vehicle along the berm of the road. He then tried to move into the left lane and in the process of changing lanes, he saw the Jeep flipped over with no lights on, but was unable to avoid the collision.
After impact, the Jeep slid north in the right lane, at which point, Kutzler was ejected, police reported.
The Hyundai went off the road on the left side, then crossed back over both lanes of travel and went off the right side of the road and struck the guardrail.
The Jeep remained on its roof with the child still in the vehicle, police reported.
While Kutzler's injuries in the original accident are unknown, police said he was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of injuries suffered in the second accident. The child was also injured and was flown to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for treatment of serious injuries.
Edwards, who reportedly suffered serious injuries, and his 17-year-old female passenger, who suffered minor injuries, were transported to UPMC Altoona by Raystown Ambulance Service. Another passenger in Edwards' vehicle, a female of unknown age, was flown by Medstar to UPMC Altoona for treatment of suspected serious injuries, police reported.