Man dead after Route 422 crash, police say
A motorcyclist died Thursday afternoon, Aug. 31, after he tried to avoid a downed wire on Route 422 West near the exit to Route 8 North by the Bon Aire Shopping Center, police said.
Butler Township police chief John Hays said the man driving the motorcycle died at the scene and a female passenger was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital by Butler Ambulance Service to be treated.
Hays said witnesses reported seeing a vehicle traveling east on Route 422 with an oversize load, which pulled the utility wire down across the road. He said it appeared that the motorcyclist tried to avoid the hazard, but fell off, along with his passenger. The motorcycle continued traveling after its riders had fallen.
Route 422 West was closed between Route 68 and Route 8 for an investigation, according to Scott Frederick, director of emergency services for Butler Township. The eastbound lane remained open, and first responders worked to get westbound vehicles behind the crash rerouted to exit the highway.
Traffic congestion after the accident caused “significant delays” for students in the Butler Area School District, as bus drivers were unable to reach the bus garage.
A news release from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation initially estimated the road would reopen around 6:15 p.m. The road was reopened by 5:30 p.m., according to PennDOT.
Hays said a coroner was on the way to the scene Thursday afternoon, and crash reconstruction was also on the way.
West Penn Power reported at 1:30 p.m. that 479 customers in Butler City and 153 in Butler Township lost power. Power had been restored to all residences later that day, according to West Penn Power’s Outages Map.
Butler City Bureau of Fire, Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, VA Butler Fire and Emergency Services, state police and Butler Ambulance service responded to the scene.
