PITTSBURGH — It’s been a little more than four months since a fiery three-car crash on the Liberty Bridge.
Now, the driver of the car in which two passengers died is facing a long list of charges.
Police said Madison Rau was drunk and driving more than 100 miles an hour right before she crashed just before 1 a.m. on March 1.
According to police, Rau was driving through the Liberty Tunnels toward the bridge when she crashed into an SUV that was turning onto the bridge from PJ McArdle Roadway.
According to court documents, the driver of that SUV told police, “I looked and they were like halfway down the tunnel. So, I figured I had room to pull out.”
Police said that the driver didn’t have time to pull out because Rau was driving more than 105 miles per hour through the tunnel. That’s 65 miles per hour over the speed limit.
After hitting that SUV, police said Rau’s car crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into a pickup truck and caught fire.
Two people inside her car, Laila Jones and Jaren Wilkerson, died from their injuries.
Rau was taken to the hospital in critical condition with a fractured spine, leg, wrist, ribs and had several cuts on her head.
Police said they found several alcohol containers in the vehicle. Some of them were open.
According to court documents, Rau’s blood alcohol content was .141, nearly twice the legal limit.
Rau faces a total of 18 charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter. According to court records, she has not yet been arrested.
Channel 11 spoke with friends of the victims after the crash happened. We reached out to those friends and family members on Thursday, but did not hear back.
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