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Two-county chase closes I-79
The two people, whose names were not immediately released, suffered serious leg injuries and were taken by helicopters to Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, state police said.
Police closed the southbound lanes in North Strabane Township between the Racetrack Road and Houston exits for several hours while troopers investigated the crash.
Police began pursuing the motorcycle shortly before noon near the Carnegie exit in Allegheny County when a trooper there attempted to stop the vehicle for speeding at 105 mph, said state police Cpl. Barry Gaston. Three state police cruisers from the Moon Township barracks followed the motorcyclist south into Washington County until other police cars attempted a rolling roadblock ahead of the motorcycle to slow it down near the Racetrack Road exit.
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The motorcycle driver and passenger were thrown into the grassy median. Both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash. Their conditions were not immediately known Friday.
None of the troopers involved in the chase was injured, said Capt. Sheldon Epstein, the commanding officer of Troop B in Washington.
J.T. Himmelrick said he was working at the McDonald's restaurant on Racetrack Road when a state constable he knows came in with a hand-held police scanner that started squawking.
Himmelrick said he saw two or three police cruisers attempting to barricade the road. When he and the constable were able to get outside to the parking lot, the sounds of crunching metal and sirens reached a crescendo.
"By the time I looked up, you could just hear cruisers and sirens coming through there," Himmelrick said. "Everything just seemed to happen at once."
Within minutes, troopers had surrounded the scene, he said.
A reporter responded to the scene but was ordered to leave the crash site by a state trooper on motorcycle. The reporter subsequently was issued a citation for parking on the highway.
State police earlier this month released a report on police pursuits statewide, which dropped slightly in 2008.
According to the report, police departments across Pennsylvania were involved in 1,809 that year, down from 1,931 in 2007. However, police pursuits involving motorcycles increased from 184 in 2007 to 201 last year.
Nine people died in pursuit-related crashes in 2008.
Staff writer Amanda Gillooly contributed to this story.
high speed pursuit : 5/23/2009
i commend the reporter for attempting to get a 1st hand account. these high speed chases are always open to question. interesting that the reporter was shooed off.
REPORTER : 5/23/2009
Why was the reporter not allowed to do their job and report the news? could it be the police have something to hide as the police car hit the bike ? everyone knows on these type of pursuits,, the police get piss,, off ,,,the public has the right to know the facts,, then to cite the reporter ,,,,i am tired of this sh,,,,,,,,
2 County Chase : 5/23/2009
Keep Moon Twp. troopers out of our county! They ALL lack serious critical thinking skills. How many troopers from Moon Twp. have cost tax payers dollars to clean up their bad judgement calls! This whole episode was for SPEEDING? What an outrage!!! Is it any wonder reporters couldn't get in to get the REAL story. The growing number of bad cops and their victims is alarming, as they hide behind badges to promote criminal behavior. This is criminal that two people are in critical condition because they were speeding! What was Cpl. Barry Gaston thinking? Troopers like this need to be behind a desk to protect the public.
Excuse me... : 5/27/2009
let us not forget that the guy on the bike was speeding, and at that speed, with a passenger is very irresponsible. I've seen idiots on crotch rocket motorcycles doing wheelies down the highway. They think that they can always outrun the police. Not this time Sucka! Good Job Police!
