1 killed in Slippery Rock Twp. crash with truck carrying logs
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — A woman was killed when she drove her vehicle into the path of a logging truck early Tuesday at the intersection of Route 8 and Branchton Road, which neighbors say has a notorious history.
Ruth A. Alben, 47, of Slippery Rock, was identified by police as the driver who died after she drove her Chrysler 300 in front of a tri-axle truck carrying a full load of logs.
Police said Alben failed to stop for the traffic signal. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Butler County Coroner William F. Young III.
Around 6 a.m., Butler County dispatchers sent Slippery Rock firefighters, EMTs and state police to the crash scene.
A witness said the car entered the intersection from the east side of Branchton Road, and the truck, traveling north, slammed its front into the car’s front passenger side.
The vehicles came to rest about 100 yards north of the intersection, on the berm of the southbound lane. Tow trucks later had to pry the car free from the truck.
State police investigated the scene, taking measurements of various marks on the road leading to where the vehicles came to rest. Slippery Rock firefighters and EMTs assisted near the vehicles.
Employees from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had traffic halted on Route 8, diverting it to Branchton Road. The road was closed for about three hours while police investigated and the vehicle and debris were removed.
PennDOT employees also appeared to take their own measurements and photographs of the scene. Some of their measurements started much farther from the crash site. One employee said the information would help with future analysis of the intersection.
The intersection has a single blinking yellow light to Route 8 traffic and a blinking red light for Branchton Road traffic.
Merlin Batykefer, who lives on a corner of the intersection, said the light system was installed about 10 years ago, following a gruesome crash.
In 2003, a North Carolina family of five died after a truck driver ignored a stop sign on Branchton Road and slammed into the family’s vehicle.
Batykefer said he was outside at the time of that crash, which he said was an awful experience.
Batykefer said he has lived in his home for 20 years and estimates there have been at least eight fatal crashes there during that time with numerous others resulting in injuries.
“It’s mostly people pulling out in front of others,” he said. “It’s like they don’t see the stop (light.)”
There are other elements of the road that make the intersection dangerous, Batykefer said. He said there is a dip in the road north of the intersection which can shield smaller vehicles from view.
Batykefer was not home at the time of Tuesday’s crash, and when he returned, he found the road blocked and some vehicles pulled into his driveway.
He said the results of these crashes should be more heavily weighed when considering what to do about the intersection. He said he would like to see a full traffic light put into place.
“(State and local government officials) say it’s not that bad,” Batykefer said. “Everybody around here has been wanting a traffic light.”
