State police in region investigate 106 crashes, write 1,500 speeding tickets over holiday

State troopers in the region investigated 106 crashes during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, including two fatalities, according to statistics released this week.

There were 32 people hurt and alcohol was involved in 12 of the crashes, according to data for Troops A and B which cover Westmoreland, Allegheny and most of six other surrounding counties.

Two people were seriously hurt in a two-vehicle head-on crash Saturday afternoon on Route 981 in Loyalhanna, according to state police. Both drivers were hospitalized.

A Derry woman was seriously injured Monday morning after a minivan ran a stop sign and collided with the motorcycle on which she was a passenger, police said. The minivan driver initially fled the scene but was found a short time later. Troopers said they expect to charge the minivan driver.

Statewide, eight people were killed in 844 crashes during the holiday weekend, from Friday to Monday. There were 183 people injured and alcohol was a factor in 63 of the crashes.

Statistics show that troopers across the state made 596 arrests for driving under the influence and issued 9,624 speeding tickets. In Troops A and B, police reported making 96 drunken-driving arrests and writing 1,500 speeding tickets.

The number of crashes and DUI arrests statewide increased slightly from 2019, according to statistics. Such data was not compiled in 2020. The number of speeding citations dropped by 32% from more than 14,000 in 2019.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission officials projected traffic on the toll highway during Memorial Day weekend to double to 2.1 million motorists compared to 2020.