One killed in Somerset Township accident
A Beaver County man was killed Tuesday morning in a two-vehicle accident on Route 136 at Brownlee Road in Somerset Township.
State police said Addison B. Clingerman, 69, of Fombell, had been stopped in his pickup truck at a stop sign in the southbound lane of Brownlee about 8 a.m. He was attempting to make a left turn onto Route 136 and reportedly pulled into the path of a westbound Waste Management truck driven by Tyler J. Melvin, 27, of Clairton, which was traveling about 30 mph.
Police said Melvin told them he tried to apply his brakes to avoid a crash. Both vehicles crashed into a guardrail on the west side of Brownlee.
Washington County Coroner Tim Warco pronounced Clingerman dead at the scene. It was not known whether he was wearing a seat belt. Cause and manner of death will be determined by an autopsy. Melvin was treated at the scene by Bearcat Ambulance.
The intersection has been the scene of many accidents and was revamped after five people were killed in a 2008 crash. A garage that had been on one corner of the intersection has been demolished in an effort to improve sight distance. Larger stop signs and warning signs approaching the intersection were erected, and rumble strips were added to the pavement to further warn drivers.
State police Lt. John Kean, patrol section commander for Troop B in Washington County, said since 2012, there had been 41 reportable accidents at the intersection. For a crash to be reportable, it involves injuries and/or requires that vehicles be towed.
Only two of those crashes, not counting Tuesday’s wreck, involved fatalities, Kean said. Most of the wrecks happened during daylight hours when the weather was clear, the lieutenant added. Only six of the 41 crashes happened when it was raining.
Once the state police have concluded their investigation, the state Department of Transportation will likely look at the intersection and discuss it with state police, said Valerie Petersen, spokeswoman for PennDOT.
“PennDOT has addressed the intersection,” Warco said Tuesday. “I am not sure what more they can do.”
Route 136 was closed in both directions after the accident but reopened later Tuesday morning.
Also assisting at the scene were firefighters from Ellsworth, Valley Inn and Fallowfield Township.
Clingerman is the 23rd person to die on Washington County roads this year.