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5 injured after minivan hits telephone poles

PITTSBURGH — Five people were taken to a hospital Tuesday morning after a minivan struck two telephone poles in Pittsburgh’s Perry North neighborhood, Channel 11 News has learned.

The accident was reported about 9:30 a.m. on Perrysville Avenue at Watson Boulevard.

Officials said four people had to be extricated from the van.

Part of Perrysville Avenue was shut down while authorities investigated the crash and repairs were made to the telephone poles.

Several of the victims were seriously hurt and some needed surgery.

One victim is in the intensive care unit.

The sirens hit way too close to home for Jerry Ann Allen on Tuesday morning.

“My house sits on Perrysville. I looked out the window and went, 'Oh My God,'” said Allen, president of Allen Place Community Services.

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The people hurt in this crash, were on their way to her senior program at Allen Place Community Services on the North Side.

“Right now, I'm just as distraught as the families,” Allen said.

Police say the driver hit two telephone poles.

He works for a day care inside the building that houses the senior program and provides transportation for them.

“He said he lost control of the wheel when he was turning the corner,” Allen said. “I'm concerned because I feel like we do need some signage here.”

Allen says drivers need to be warned about the twists in the road.

11 investigates dug into the number of crashes on Perrysville Avenue between Cherryfield and Delaware streets and we found quite a few over the years:

  • 2016 -- a pedestrian was hit and there were three crashes where drivers hit objects.
  • 2015 -- two more crashes where drivers hit objects in addition to a two-car crash.
  • 2011 -- another driver hit another object.

“I got on the phone today to call our city council representative because I just feel like I've got to stand up now,” Allen said.

Allen says the city is looking into her request to put signage on that stretch of road.