Nov 6, 2017 2 min read

A Cross Creek Township woman died Friday night in a Pittsburgh hospital from injuries sustained in a crash that afternoon in the 1400 block of Route 18 (Smith Township Road) in Smith Township.

Barbara Rankin, 62, died at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital, several hours after the crash that was reported at 4:18 p.m. Police said Rankin was driving north on Route 18 when a southbound sport utility vehicle driven by Linus J. Chechuk, 53, of Weirton, W.Va., crossed the center line. His vehicle struck the rear of a commercial truck also going southbound, then collided head-on into Rankin’s pickup truck, said Smith police Chief Bernie LaRue.

Rankin was extricated from her truck by firefighters from Slovan and Mt. Pleasant Township, said Slovan fire Chief Brandon Kriznik. Both departments set up a landing zone across from Cornerstone Medical Center. Rankin was flown to UPMC-Presyterian, and Chechuk was flown to Allegheny General Hospital. The driver of the commercial truck was not injured. Chechuk is in fair condition, according to a UPMC spokeswoman.

The road was closed in that area for about 90 minutes.

LaRue said police are continuing the investigation into the crash, checking medical and cellphone records, in an attempt to determine why Chechuk crossed the center line.

LaRue and Kriznik said the location of Friday’s crash was in the same area of Route 18 where a 78-year-old Burgettstown man was killed in a May 11 crash. Benjamin Strain crossed the center line, hitting another vehicle before hitting a tree.

“We’ve had a few crashes in that area,” LaRue said. “But there seems to be no particular reason for the crashes. There is no issue with the road.”

Rankin was the 21st person to die on Washington County roads this year.