Fatal rockslide traps two near Connellsville
Two pinned beneath thousand-pound boulder
One person is dead and another injured after a rockslide trapped both on a section of the Great Allegheny Passage near Connellsville Saturday.
According to Fayette County Coroner Bob Baker, his office was called to the scene after the rockslide killed one cyclist and sent the other to the hospital.
The person who died is a 76-year-old woman from Florida, according to a statement from the coroner’s office. Her identity was not available as of Sunday afternoon. Information was also not available on the identity of the other cyclist.
A senior leader from the Morrell Volunteer Fire Company in Dunbar Township said that the slide left a boulder that weighed about 1,000 pounds on top of the two bikers around noon Saturday.
Morrell VFD was dispatched to the scene at 12:54 p.m. alongside two other local fire companies, Pennsylvania State Police and staff from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR}, who are leading the investigation into the incident.
The firefighter said it took a combination of rescue cribbing, webbing and airbags to dislodge the boulder and free the two trapped individuals in around 10 minutes.
The surviving cyclist was airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital with severe injuries. The cyclist’s condition was not available Sunday.
According to Baker, more information will be released once it is available.
DCNR spokesperson Wesley Robinson said that the incident occurred around mile marker 87.6 in Ohiopyle State Park. The trail is closed in the immediate area and the public is asked to avoid it, he said.
The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150-mile, multi-use trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Columbia, Md.