Youngwood crash victims recovering

The small congregation at Keystone Free Will Baptist Church in Greensburg was in the middle of a song-filled Mother's Day service Sunday morning when Sandy Santmyer's cellphone rang.

Santmyer had come to surprise her daughter, Vicky Schuler, Pastor Nate Altom said. But when the service started at 10:30, Schuler, her husband and two young sons hadn't arrived. Santmyer quickly sent a text, but Vicky didn't respond.

Then Santmyer's cellphone rang. It was bad news.

“Tragically, we didn't learn what happened until about three-quarters of the way through the service when first responders notified the family,” Altom said. “I went outside with Sandy after she got the initial call.”

Vicky and William Schuler of Scottdale and their sons, Gavin, 2, and Austin, 1, were driving into Youngwood, headed to the church, when their car was crushed by a pickup, seriously injuring all four.

“We stopped the service and asked the congregation to pray for God to watch over them,” Altom said.

The young Schuler family is well-known and beloved among the church's 100 or so members, Altom said.

“When people learned about the tragedy, many started crying. We invited everyone who was there to come up and circle around the altar and we began praying for the family,” he said.

Vicky Schuler, 29; her husband, 33, and their sons were recuperating in three hospitals Monday after the violent collision.

Rescue crews and witnesses said the Schulers' 2011 Hyundai Elantra was in the northbound lane of Route 119 when it was hit by a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup and propelled airborne before landing on its roof near the Hillis Street intersection.

Matthew Murphy, 24, of Scottdale was driving the truck, state police said. He was flown to an undisclosed area hospital. His condition was not released Monday.

The pastor said he was stunned by the faith and resilience the Scottdale couple showed just hours after the crash.

Vicky Schuler had to be extricated from the wreckage. Her condition was upgraded from critical to fair at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville.

“When we got to Forbes Hospital, one of the first things ... Vicky Schuler told us was she apparently is just not meant to attend church services on Mother's Day, and we all laughed,” said Altom.

She joked with her pastor and family members that it was the third consecutive year she had missed services on Mother's Day at the Westview Drive church, Altom said.

Two years ago, infant Gavin was hospitalized with a “minor malady” on Mother's Day, Altom said. And last year, the family's second son, Austin, had just been born May 2.

“I'll never forget her response in the face of all that the family had been through to be able to joke. ... it was just an indication of the family's strong faith,” the pastor said.

Although all the Schulers face long recoveries, Vicky, William and Austin were conscious Sunday afternoon and were able to communicate with visitors, Altom said.

Gavin and Austin, who were in the backseat, are patients at UPMC Children's Hospital, which did not release their conditions. Gavin's injuries are more serious, Altom said.

State police said William Schuler, who was driving, was ejected from the car. His condition was upgraded from critical to fair, according to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.

After the pickup struck the Schulers' car, it swerved through the Youngwood Shop 'n Save parking lot, hit several parked vehicles, then stopped in front of the grocery store. Witnesses said Murphy was unconscious after the crash.

Murphy and the Schulers were flown by emergency helicopter to the hospitals.

The accident remains under investigation by the state police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist Unit.

“If you look at the Schulers' car ... it was just amazing that anyone was even able to survive something like that,” Altom said.

Their families have been shuffling between the three hospitals for the past two days, the pastor said.

“The Schulers are just the most loving, caring people,” he said. “They want us all to keep faith in God and to just keep praying for them to pull through all of this.”

As the families and friends left Forbes to visit William and the boys in Pittsburgh hospitals on Sunday, Altom said he was struck again by Vicky's faith despite adversity.

“We were there to offer her comfort. You know, she said a prayer for us as we left ... for God to look over us in our travels. That is just the type of people they are,” he said. “It is amazing.”

Paul Peirce is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review.