Two Westmoreland County men died Thursday following a violent three-vehicle crash on Route 30 in Unity, authorities said.
Richard P. McLaughlin, 72, of Unity was pronounced dead at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg after the force of the 7:30 p.m. crash ripped in half his Buick Regal as he turned onto Route 30, state police and Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Josh Zappone said.
Bryan Newhouse, 29, of Latrobe died at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.
Debris from the crash, including an engine block and the back half of the Buick, stretched hundreds of feet on Route 30.
State police and the county coroner said in news releases that McLaughlin had a green light and was turning left onto the highway from Lewis Road when a Volkswagen GTI traveling west on Route 30 ran a red light and slammed into McLaughlin's car. The Volkswagen was driven by Newhouse, police said.
The back end of the Buick was thrown into the eastbound lanes and struck a sport utility vehicle driven by a 64-year-old Harrison City woman who was stopped at the red light on Route 30.
Jolene Hill, a nurse at a nearby doctor's office, was working late when she heard the crash and looked outside.
“I saw a lone tire just rolling down the westbound lane,” she said. “I ran up over the hill, and that's when I saw the red car.”
Hill said two men in the Volkswagen were unresponsive when she ran up — in her bare feet because she'd taken her shoes off while catching up on paperwork. Police said two Latrobe men — ages 34 and 25 — were passengers in the Volkswagen.
Seeing that the driver was unconscious and struggling to breathe, Hill said she held up his head to keep his airway clear until another nurse, then firefighters, arrived. The rear-seat passenger also was unconscious but appeared to awaken after a few moments, she said. All three in the Volkswagen were transported to area hospitals.
The highway near Toyota of Greensburg was closed for several hours Thursday night. That stretch of Route 30 is traveled by about 33,000 motorists daily, according to a PennDOT map. The speed limit there is 50 mph.
Kepple-Graft Funeral Home is handling McLaughlin's arrangements. He died of multiple blunt-force injuries, Zappone said. Newhouse's cause of death was unavailable Friday.
Staff writer Matt Santoni contributed. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.
