Fatal high-speed crash on Parkway East leads to charges
A Pittsburgh man is facing involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle charges stemming from a fatal crash on the Parkway East in March.
Donald Isiah Lewis II, 28, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, told police a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 376 that left one person dead was his fault, according to a criminal complaint.
The wreck, which happened near the Squirrel Hill Tunnel around 1:50 a.m. on March 31, left one man dead.
Police said Lewis was driving inbound toward Pittsburgh when he slammed his vehicle into Landon Ray’s Honda Civic. The collision pushed Ray’s vehicle into two other vehicles.
Ray was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Lewis estimated he was driving his silver Corvette about 85 mph at the time of the crash, the complaint said. Police determined his speed reached 101 mph one second before striking Ray’s car.
The vehicles Lewis crashed into were stopped at a traffic light due to a temporary closure of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel at the time, police said.
Lewis is awaiting a preliminary hearing, according to online court records.
Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jburdelski@triblive.com.
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