State police: Trooper at fault in fatal Ligonier crash

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State police: Trooper at fault in fatal Ligonier crash

Joe Napsha | Saturday, August 26, 2017 12:00 a.m.

Sean Stipp | Trib Total Media

Flags fly at half staff at the Ligonier Township Municipal Complex as Christopher Tantlinger, Planning Chief for the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety, speaks to the media about the funeral services for fallen officer Lt. Eric Eslary.

The state police trooper killed July 14 while driving a police sport utility vehicle along Route 711 in Ligonier Township was at fault for the early morning collision with a garbage truck, state police said Friday.

Trooper Michael P. Stewart III of Unity, died in the crash and his passenger, Trooper Travis November, continues to recover from injuries sustained in the crash, police said.

The investigation “determined that the marked State Police patrol unit was the at-fault vehicle,” according to a release from Greensburg-based state police.

Investigators said a number of factors played a role in the crash, including the police car's speed, the sight distance of the roadway and environmental factors that included a wet roadway and fog.

State police said the two troopers were travelling southbound in a marked police vehicle when it collided with the driver's side of a garbage truck at 2:20 a.m.

That garbage truck owned by McInchok Sanitation in Ligonier, was making a left turn out of a parking lot to head north on Route 711 when the accident occurred.

Both officers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, police said.

State police said Friday there would be no additional comment on the investigation.

A spokesman for McInchok Sanitation declined to comment Friday evening.

Trooper November could not be reached for comment.

Jim Stewart, a spokesman for the Stewart family, declined to comment Friday, saying they have not seen the police report on the accident.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.

Details

Funeral arrangements

Friends will be received at the funeral home from 2-4 to 6-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the J. Paul McCracken Funeral Chapel Inc., 144 East Main St., Ligonier.

Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday in Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ligonier with Rev. John Foriska and Robert Cummings co-officiating. Interment will follow at Ligonier Valley Cemetery.

Those who attend the funeral Saturday should take extra precautions because of the traffic influx anticipated, police said.

Following the funeral, a lengthy procession will proceed a few miles west on Route 30 to the Route 259 intersection, then cross into the eastbound lanes and travel back to Ligonier to Route 711 south to the cemetery.

The family suggests that memorials be made to the Western Pennsylvania Police Benevolence Foundation. Memorials may be sent to the funeral home at 144 East Main St., Ligonier, Pa. 15658, with Mary Beth Eslary
written in the check memo line.