ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP - More than 30 new and used cars were damaged Tuesday in a bizarre tractor-trailer accident at a Route 51 auto dealership that resembled a demolition derby. The early afternoon crash resulted in nearly $1 million in property damage and left one person hospitalized in serious condition. It took fire and emergency personnel 45 minutes to pull driver Thomas Kevin Mains, 46, of Greensburg Pike, West Newton, from the 35,000-pound, 1988 Mack Truck that plowed into the front lot at the C. Harper AutoPlex on Route 51 north at 1:53 p.m. Mains was transported via emergency evacuation helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, where officials are are trying to determine whether a medical condition contributed to the mishap. 'It all happened so fast. This truck came flying over the center lane and wiped out all of those cars,' said truck driver Mike Remo of Rhode Island, who was delivering vehicles to the dealership. 'I thought, 'My God, I can't believe no one else got hurt.'' A Somerset County man driving an All-State Career tractor trailer in the opposite direction was among the motorists who watched in disbelief. 'We just stopped to get a bite to eat at the truck stop and were heading north to Pittsburgh when I saw the truck lose control and end up in the car lot,' said the driver. 'Next thing I saw were cars flying everywhere.' Rostraver Township Police said Mains lost control of the salt-laden rig while driving south on Route 51. He reportedly crossed into the northbound lane where he nearly hit another car and wiped out a business sign, numerous light posts, fences, fence posts and gates. Rostraver-West Newton Emergency Service crewman Greg Cominsky said the driver was unresponsive when emergency crews arrived, but was conscious by the time they transferred him to the helicopter. Cominsky said it appeared the driver sustained head and possibly internal injuries. Police said Pamela Snyder, 33, of Charleroi, traveling northbound in a 1987 Pontiac Grand Am, was able to stop before the truck crossed into her path. She complained of upper back pain and was transported to Jefferson Hospital, police said. A 2001 Huyndai driven by Christopher Agostini, 23, of Monongahela, was damaged by a parked Pontiac Grand Prix that was pushed into his vehicle as he waited to enter the highway. A light post also fell onto the rear end of the Huyndai. Agostini complained of neck and back pain and was taken to Monongahela Valley Hospital, said police. Police said Mains' vehicle crashed into a wooden fence, continued through a perimeter gate and subsequently smashed into 30 vehicles, many of which were pricey Cadillacs. Most of the cars sustained severe damage, as sides were smashed and bumpers were ripped off. Shattered glass, broken metal and other debris was scattered throughout the lot. Sales manager Pat Brown, however, said it was business as usual at C. Harper this morning. 'Everything's cleaned up. We're ready to roll,' said Brown. 'They'll probably be in today to start fixing the fences and posts,' said the manager, noting that the building was not damaged. 'It's nothing major, mostly cosmetic.' Following the accident, employees peeked out of the windows to survey the damage as police attempted to puzzle together the unusual chain of events that led to the accident. Many of them braved the blustery wind and snow showers to view the damaged carnage. 'I've never seen anything like this...it's horrible,' said an employee who asked to remain anonymous. Several C. Harper employees said they heard the crash while inside the building. 'It sounded like 100 plow trucks smashing together ... all you heard was boom, boom, boom,' said a salesman. 'Miraculously, there were no customers or sales people in the front lot when the early afternoon crash occurred. 'It's very unusual for there to be no one out there...there's always a lot of traffic.' Traffic on Route 51 was closed for about an hour between Vernon Drive and Interstate 70. Detours restricting traffic to the southbound lane remained in effect until 5:30 p.m. The truck was impounded and inspectors will attempt to determine whether mechanical failure was involved. Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials Team 800 handled about 50 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled into a nearby creek, police said. Rostraver Township Police were assisted by Belle Vernon state police, Rostraver/West Newton and Elizabeth emergency medical service units, Rostraver Central, Webster, Collinsburg and West Newton fire departments and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The Mack truck Mains was driving is owned by Andy Szakos General Hauling in Jeannette.

Mother: Driver has no memory of giant crash

Thomas Kevin Mains was sweating and shaking Tuesday just before he crashed into a Rostraver Township auto dealership, his mother said. Marie Mains of West Newton RD said her son is undergoing tests this morning at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh to determine the extent of the injuries he sustained in the early afternoon crash at C. Harper Autoplex in Route 51. 'We don't really know yet what happened,' Marie Mains of her 46-year-old son's crash. 'He said he started sweating and shaking, then passed out. He said he didn't remember anything until waking up on the gurney.' Thomas Mains had been driving for Andy Szako's General Hauling in Jeannette for about one month prior to yesterday's mishap, his mother noted. Police said Mains apparently lost control of the salt truck at 1:53 p.m. and plowed into 30 parked cars at the C. Harper Chevrolet lot. According to Mains, her son was lodged between the truck's seats following the crash, 'and he stopped breathing.' She said he suffered a lot of bumps and bruises, but no broken bones. Tom Mains had no known medical problems, said his mother.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---