State police: 23 people hurt in 90 crashes in region over Labor Day weekend

State troopers in the region investigated 90 crashes during the Labor Day holiday weekend, including one fatality, according to statistics released this week.

There were 23 people hurt and alcohol was a factor in seven of the crashes, according to data for Troops A and B which cover Westmoreland, Allegheny and most of six other surrounding counties.

Many of the crashes around the region had minor or no injuries, according to news releases completed by troopers.

A couple of them, including one on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield, involved deer and two people were hospitalized after a rear-end crash Sunday on Route 22 in Salem, police said.

Statewide, six people were killed and 180 injured in 648 crashes during the holiday weekend from Friday to Monday. Alcohol was a factor in about 7% of crashes, including four of the fatal crashes.

Troopers across the state made 515 DUI arrests and issued 8,105 speeding citations, according to statistics. In Troops A and B, there were 77 arrests for driving under the influence and 1,308 tickets for speeding written.

Three of those DUI arrests were made by troopers in Armstrong County. In one instance, troopers said an attempted traffic stop turned into a chase after a New Kensington woman fled on Route 28 Sunday. Police said the driver had a warrant out for her arrest.

Troopers in Troop A’s Indiana Patrol Unit made 13 DUI arrests — nine for drugs and four for alcohol, according to Trooper Cliff Greenfield. Suspected drugs were seized in six of those investigations.

The number of crashes statewide decreased slightly from 2021, according to statistics. The number of speeding tickets decreased by about 19% and the number of DUI arrests dropped by approximately 12%.

Traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was expected to be slightly lower than that of Labor Day 2019 with about 2.7 million people on the highway, according to commission officials.