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18-year-old hit, killed by tractor-trailer along Route 119

GREENSBURG, Pa. — An 18-year-old was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer along Route 119 on Tuesday in Westmoreland County.

According to state police, Brandon Peterson, 18, from Scottdale, Pennsylvania, was outside of his Ram 2500 pickup for some reason along the right shoulder after the truck became disabled.

Investigators said a tractor-trailer, driven by Logan Denny, 31, from High Point, North Carolina, hit and killed Peterson before stopping. Peterson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency officials said the highway was closed for hours all the way to the Fayette County line following the incident.

According to our partners at TribLive.com, this area has been a problem spot for crashes. PennDOT data showed 28 crashes in the area in 2019.

“I couldn’t imagine. I couldn’t imagine it at all,” said Melissa Gamble, owner of Suzy’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop.

The small community of Scottdale is still trying to process what happened to Peterson and condolences poured in throughout the day. Gamble said she pieced things together when a customer pulled up to her drive-through window saying Route 119 had been shut down. Several employees were late because of the crash and many who worked there knew Peterson.

“They were distraught. Very upset,” Gamble said.

Some drivers told Channel 11 the stretch of highway where the crash occurred is called “Tri-Axle Alley” because of the constant flow of tractor trailers carrying heavy loads and often speeding.