OHIO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two New Brighton men were killed and two other people were rushed to area hospitals in critical condition after a violent crash early Wednesday morning on Ohio River Boulevard.
Investigators said they believe one of the cars involved crossed the center line and crashed into the other just before 2:30 a.m.
Ohio Township police Chief Norbert Micklos said one of the cars had a man by himself, and the other had two men in the front and a woman in the back. The two men in that car, 22-year-old Christopher Lantzy and 19-year-old David Mooney, were killed instantly.
Micklos said accident reconstruction teams are working to figure out exactly what happened, but it appears bald tires on a wet roadway may be to blame.
“It looks like direct impact. From what I can see, we’re not seeing any skidding. It looks like one crossed over and it was a direct hit,” Micklos said.
Ohio Township police Cpl. Don Manz said investigators believe speed is partly to blame.
“They were traveling down 65 and lost control,” Manz said. “We were looking at the rear tires and there was no traction on them at all.”
An officer from Bellevue told investigators that he thinks he tried to stop the same car minutes before the fatal accident.
“He believes that he saw the same vehicle traveling on 65 in their area, and he was unable to catch up to it because of the high rate of speed,” Manz said.
Manz said they believe the man, who was in the car by himself, was likely on his way to work.
“Based on what we saw in the vehicle, he had a thermos and other items that indicated he was going to work,” Manz said.
The road reopened to traffic just before 6 a.m., Channel 11's Cara Sapida reported.
The names of the hospitalized victims have been released.
WPXI
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