WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Months after a school bus driver was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Westmoreland County, a man is facing charges.
Isaac Semple, 23, of Belington, W. Va., was charged Monday with homicide by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and multiple traffic violations.
A criminal complaint claims Semple ran a red light while driving a tractor-trailer on State Route 22 back in March, then hit two vehicles, killing Rene Davis, 60, and injuring a 17-year-old.
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No students were in the van Davis was driving at the time of the crash. An autopsy determined she died of blunt force trauma to the head neck and torso.
The complaint states Semple said the sun was in his eyes before the crash and he had his head down as he reached up for his sunglasses. When he looked up, he claimed to see the traffic light, but not what color it was, and “before he knew it there were was 2 cars in front of him.”
Investigators spoke with several people on scene. One said the traffic light was red when the truck went through the intersection. Another said they watched the school van go through the light when it turned green, and get t-boned by the truck.
A crash reconstruction cited in the complaint found the “sun would have been more centered behind the signals” at the time of the crash. And while Temple was driving between 51-56 mph in a 45 mph zone, speed was not a factor in the crash. Nor was the mechanical condition of any of the vehicles.
“This collision is the result of Isaac Stemple failing to stop at a steady red signal and entering the intersection while traffic was crossing,” the complaint stated.
Semple is being held in the Westmoreland County Jail on a $100,000 unsecured bond.
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