Route 19 rollover crash injures driver

Meadville Tribune, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·1 min read

May 8—VERNON TOWNSHIP — A pickup truck rollover crash Tuesday morning along Route 19 injured the truck's driver, according to Meadville Police Department.

John J. Welch, 49, of Meadville, was driving south on Route 19 near the intersection of Bailey Road in southern Vernon Township when he apparently lost control of the truck, police said.

The truck was hauling a trailer loaded with dirt when it crash around 10:30, according to Chief Michael Stefanucci.

A witness, who was driving north on the highway, told police that the pickup truck crossed the double yellow center line of the highway into the northbound lane before crossing back into the southbound lane. The truck then flipped and rolled over, the witness told police.

Based on skid marks on the roadway, the truck lost control of the trailer unit, causing the vehicle to jackknife, according to police. The truck was flipped onto its roof with the truck's front facing east and the truck partially in a ravine, police said. The trailer continued south off the roadway and came to a stop just north of Bailey Road, police said.

The crash caused damage to a large portion of guardrail along Route 19 as well, according emergency radio traffic from the scene. Reports from the scene said Welch was transported to UPMC Hamot by STAT MedEvac helicopter.

Vernon Central Volunteer Fire Department, AutoWorx Towing, and Geneva Truck & Equipment assisted at the scene.