Two men were struck by a car after they had stopped to render aid to a driver who had crashed just a few moments earlier on Interstate 70’s Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge Saturday morning, according to state police.
The first crash, according to Trooper Robert Broadwater, occurred about 6:40 a.m., when the driver of a minivan struck the barrier in the right eastbound lane at the beginning of the bridge. Broadwater said police are not sure what caused the crash, but the vehicle became disabled in the left lane. The driver was not injured, he said.
A good Samaritan traveling in the same direction pulled in front of the van and stopped to render aid. Broadwater confirmed the identity of the motorist as Michael Natale, a 44-year-old West Newton police officer who also works for Smithton police and volunteers with Roscoe Fire Department.
“He was off-duty, but in uniform, since he was on his way to work that morning,” Broadwater said Monday.
A second motorist stopped, pulling behind the disabled vehicle. Broadwater said police don’t yet know how much time passed before the second crash occurred, but it was enough for both Natale and the other driver to exit their vehicles.
A fourth vehicle in the fast lane struck the rear vehicle, causing a chain-reaction crash that struck the two motorists who had stopped to assist, pinning one of them between the vehicles, Broadwater said.
Both Natale and the other man were flown to Pittsburgh hospitals with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the fourth vehicle, Broadwater said, was taken to a nearby hospital and released. He said police are still investigating what caused the second crash and whether the driver of the fourth vehicle was distracted.
“They’re not sure what happened,” Broadwater said. “A crash like this shouldn’t have happened because it’s a straightaway – you can see what’s coming.”
Broadwater said that area of I-70 can be fairly dangerous, since it’s a narrow bridge.
“It’s not a safe area,” he said. “That’s why the speed limit is 45. You just got to be aware of your surroundings. You have to be aware of what’s going on at all times and just pay attention to the roads.”
The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for a few hours after the crash for police, fire and EMS crews to clear the scene.
Broadwater said that while he’s glad people have the decency to stop and render aid, he can’t always encourage that behavior due to some unsafe roadways and inattentive drivers. In the case of Natale, Broadwater said he was doing what he had sworn an oath to do.
“He was doing the right thing, and the other good Samaritan was doing a good thing too,” Broadwater said. “It’s unfortunate this happened. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Broadwater said the crash investigation is ongoing.
In a Facebook post Saturday morning, the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, where Natale volunteers, called for drivers to “slow down, move over, pay attention.”
“Please keep him, his family, and friends along with others involved in this accident in your continued thoughts and prayers,” the post read.
Last year, Natale drove his police motorcycle in the funeral procession for Rostraver/West Newton EMS paramedic supervisor Matthew Smelser, who was struck and killed by a commercial vehicle on I-70 East on Jan. 5, 2020, while he was tending to a patient near the Smithton exit in Westmoreland County.
“People need to realize they have to move over,” said Allan Waraksa, president of the Roscoe fire department. “It needs to be strongly enforced, more than what it is.”
Waraksa said he’s worked with Natale at the fire department and at emergency scenes for the past five years.
“He’s a stand-up guy all around,” he said. “He would give you the shirt off his back and not think twice. That’s the kind of guy he is, so, of course, he went to offer assistance.”