Beloved grandmother killed after driver runs stop sign

McKEESPORT, Pa. — A beloved grandmother was killed in a crash on a McKeesport neighborhood street.

Witnesses say a woman driving a minivan with three kids inside ran a stop sign on Rockwood Street and hit a car on 28^th Street, killing a woman who was heading home from babysitting her grandchild.

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Donna DeFrances was a mother, grandmother, and treated everyone as her own. She would have turned 70 in April.

Donna’s family says she was babysitting her granddaughter Saturday night so her son and daughter-in-law could go out for Valentine’s Day. Her son-in-law was bringing her home when the car he was driving was hit by a minivan that blew a stop sign.

Doorbell video captured the dramatic aftermath.

Scott Petras lives on the corner.

“The crash looked like it should have been on a highway,” Petras tells Channel 11. “Or straight away on a big road, into a tree at 80 mph.”

The impact of the crash was violent. The minivan took out a stop sign, leaving car parts littered all over the sidewalk. Three kids were in the minivan, which was crushed. One of the children was rushed to the hospital and is expected to be okay. Donna DeFrances was a passenger in the other car. She didn’t survive.

“It was a tragic accident,” Petras added.

Neighbors say cars speed on this stretch of their street daily. They want to see it become a four-way stop. They also say this crash was preventable and the driver needs to be held accountable.

“There are kids that play on this street, and one time, something’s going to happen that’s bad,” Petra said. “Well, something already did.”

While the family of Donna DeFrances plans for her funeral, they say the driver of the minivan should be behind bars.

The Allegheny County Police Department says it’s waiting on lab results before handing the case off to the District Attorney’s office, which will determine if charges are filed.

Donna DeFrances’ son-in-law has a broken sternum, broken vertebrae and a broken leg. He’s currently in stable condition at a local hospital.

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