The same intersection along a strip of Route 8 in southern Butler County was the site of two significant auto accidents over the past week. The site of these crashes was near the exit of the Cogo’s parking lot in Middlesex Township.
On Monday, August 25th, a Pittsburgh man was pulling his pickup truck out of the CoGo’s parking lot just as a teenage girl from Gibsonia was traveling south in an SUV. The vehicles collided causing the teen’s SUV to cross over into the northbound lanes before hitting the guide rail and overturning into a nearby creek, trapping the teen inside for a short time. The force of the collision also ejected the man from his truck. The teen was transported to Butler Memorial Hospital via ambulance while the man was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. The extent of their injuries is not known at this time.
On Friday, August, 22nd, John Caldwell, 71, of Beaver Falls, was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle turning into the same CoGo’s parking lot. The force of the collision caused Caldwell to be ejected form the motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at UPMC Passavant Cranberry from trauma to the head and body. Caldwell was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Severe head injuries are by far the leading cause of death from motorcycle crashes. Riders who are involved in crashes while not wearing a helmet are 40% more likely to die from the resulting head injury than they would be if they were wearing a helmet.
