ATV driver killed on Route 51 in Fayette
A Uniontown man was killed early Saturday morning on Route 51 near Smock Road when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving the wrong way collided head-on with a car, state police in Belle Vernon said.
The victim, Jeremiah Pletcher, 22, was driving the ATV southbound in the northbound lanes of the highway in Franklin Township around 2:45 a.m. when the collision occurred, police said.
Fayette County Coroner Phillip Reilly said Pletcher died of blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene at 3 a.m..
Route 51 was closed for 3½ hours as a result of the fatal crash, police said.
It is illegal to operate an ATV on Pennsylvania’s public roadways.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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