A drunken driver hit three vehicles this afternoon on Ross Street in Tarentum, causing one to roll over several times and trap a man inside, police said.

The driver of the car that rolled over, a man in his 60s from Harrison, was trapped in his vehicle, a Buick Century, while his 17-year-old grandson got out on his own. The driver was conscious when he was taken by medical helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital with multiple injuries, police said.

“How somebody didn’t get killed is beyond me,” Tarentum Officer Mark Glogowski said.

Glogowski said police found a flask of what appeared to be alcohol in the glove compartment of a Honda Civic driven by the man who was taken into custody. The driver, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and to have his blood tested.

The collisions occurred on Ross Street at East 10th Avenue. Police were called around 3:45 p.m. Glogowski said all of the vehicles involved were traveling into Tarentum from Route 28.

Based on witness accounts, he said the Civic was traveling at high speed and attempted to drive between the left turn lane to East 10th Avenue and the middle travel lane. It struck one vehicle, breaking off its side mirror, and then hit the back of a second vehicle.

The Civic then hit the Buick Century, which was stopped in the middle lane at the light, pushing it into a curb and causing it to roll over several times.

Glogowski said numerous witnesses came to help, including a few with fire extinguishers. Gasoline was leaking from the car’s tank into the passenger compartment, but there was no fire.

Traffic was tied up after the crash as the inbound lane was closed while the driver of the Buick was rescued and the wrecked vehicles removed.

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