3-vehicle crash in Fayette County kills 3

Part of Route 40 was closed in Fayette County on Monday evening after a crash that killed three people, according to state police.

According to state police, the three-vehicle crash occurred at about 5:30 p.m. near Dark Hollow Road and Youghiogheny River Lake in Henry Clay Township.

An eastbound truck tractor crossed into the westbound lanes, striking head-on into a pickup truck, police said. The pickup then collided head-on with a van.

The drivers of the truck tractor and the pickup and a front-seat passenger in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Five other occupants of the van were taken to area hospitals for evaluation and treatment.

Police said Tuesday they were continuing to investigate the crash and were working with the Fayette County Coroner’s Office to notify the next of kin of the three deceased motorists.

Route 40, also known as National Pike, has seen numerous fatalities in Fayette County in recent years from crashes.

Two were killed and seven injured in September 2023 in a two-vehicle crash in Wharton Township, west of Monday’s scene. That crash happened when one vehicle crossed the center line, slamming head-on into the second vehicle.

Five people were killed in March 2024 in a three-vehicle crash on Route 40 in the same area as the 2023 crash. Investigators determined a driver that crossed the center line and slammed into a tractor-trailer had cocaine in his system.