PITTSBURGH — A woman was killed when her car caught fire after it was hit by a pickup truck on the Parkway East on Monday morning.
Around 5:25 a.m., troopers responded to the crash on the parkway near Oakland for a two-vehicle crash.
State police said their investigation shows that an Infinity sedan was disabled on the roadway with its four-way flashers on and the woman driver still inside. A Ford F-150 was traveling outbound when witnesses said it changed lanes. According to a release, the truck then struck the disabled vehicle, which caused it to catch fire.
The woman was pronounced dead on the scene. She was later identified as Keturah Griffin, 40, of Monroeville.
Trooper Rocco Gagliardi told Channel 11 Griffin was on the phone with a tow truck service when her car was hit.
“It’s a pretty dark call,” Gagliardi said. “One minute, she’s talking to the operators for a tow truck, the next minute, she’s on fire inside the vehicle. Time was not on her side.”
Several bystanders tried to save Griffin’s life, including the driver of the truck and two city of Pittsburgh police officers, but the fire was too intense and they couldn’t get her out in time to save her life.
“The vehicle did get bent a certain way, and the damage was very severe, so it was very tough to get inside that vehicle,” Gagliardi said.
Accident reconstructionists are working to determine the speed of the truck and try to find answers to any other questions that remain.
The driver of the truck was treated on scene for minor injuries.
The Parkway East was closed for over four hours. It reopened around 10 a.m.
Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate the crash.
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