Lawsuit filed in death of Penn-Trafford baseball star
The parents of a Penn Township teen who died after a crash last year on Route 130 near Jeannette filed a wrongful death lawsuit against four energy companies and PennDOT, claiming installation of a natural gas pipeline created dangerous road conditions that caused the fatal collision.
The estate of Maclean Maund contends in the 13-count lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County that improper drainage from installation of the pipeline caused water to pool and freeze on the roadway and resulted in the death of the Seton Hill University freshman who was driving west on Jan. 25, 2020, when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with an oncoming pickup truck.
Maund died from injuries suffered in the crash.
Sunoco Pipeline, Dominion Energy Transmission, Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage Inc., Columbia Gas, PennDOT and five private property owners were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Spokespersons for Columbia Gas and Dominion Energy declined comment. Sunoco Pipeline released a statement saying the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell in an email Thursday afternoon said the same. The other energy companies did not respond to requests to comment.
The Maunds are seeking an unspecified amount in damages
Maund was a graduate of Penn-Trafford High School, where he starred as a pitcher and first baseman on the school’s baseball team.
No criminal charges resulted from the crash, which left the pickup truck driver with minor injuries, according to news accounts.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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