Pine Township, PA : Kittanning motorist dead, five people injured in a three-vehicle wreck on Route 422 near Strongstow on Tuesday morning, August 19, 2014

A Kittanning man was killed and five other people were injured this morning in a three-vehicle wreck on Route 422 near Strongstown, state police reported this afternoon. The victim of the crash was James Norris, 67. Troopers at Indiana reported Norris lost control of a westbound Toyota Rav 4 sport utility vehicle as he approached Strongstown, and drove into the path of an eastbound tri-axle coal truck driven by Ronald Robinson of Rochester Mills. Robinson lost control of the truck as it burst into flames, and it hit a second westbound vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban driven by George Banfield, of Revloc, Cambria County, police said. Rescue teams from the Pine Township, Cherryhill Township and Vintondale fire departments helped to free the injured from the wreckage of the vehicles. Robinson, 51, and Banfield, 38, suffered moderate injuries, according to police. The passengers in Banfield’s vehicle – Amy Vause, 29; Susan Norris, 56, and Shawn Vause, 30, all of Kittanning – suffered what police called major injuries. All the injured were transported by ambulance or medical helicopter to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown. The highway opened at 3:30 p.m. after police and the Indiana County Coroner’s Office completed their investigations. In their news release, state police didn’t report what may have caused Norris to lose control of his SUV. Troopers also did not comment on whether the two westbound vehicles, carrying residents of Kittanning, had been traveling together. The coroner’s office has released no information about the victim. Source : Three-vehicle crash claims life of Kittanning motorist