Tragedy struck the Pittsburgh region on Sunday around 9 p.m. when a 22-year-old Mt. Washington woman was killed after she lost control of her SUV on Bigelow Boulevard near the Hill District while on her way to a friend's house.
Although police are still investigating, initial reports say that the snow and freezing rain likely played a role in the fatal accident. In addition, police have reported that speed and her decision to forego wearing a seatbelt can also be factored into the accident.
Pittsburgh police said that the 22-year-old was killed when her car slid off the road, crashed into a tree, ejecting the woman, then flipped and landed on its roof. Police reported that if she had been wearing her seatbelt she may have likely survived.
Miraculously, however, the woman's two-year-old daughter was a passenger in the back seat and survived the accident with only a scratch on her nose. Both the woman and her daughter were taken to UPMC Mercy where the woman was pronounced dead and her daughter's scratch was treated before she was released to her grieving grandparents.
Investigators at the scene of the accident say that the toddler was strapped into her car seat and that her life was saved because of it. Accidents such as this one are especially tragic around the holidays, but also serve as a reminder for the importance of wearing your seatbelt and using car seats for your children.
Moreover, it is important to survey driving conditions and plan accordingly if you're going to be travelling. In almost all poor weather situations, the only way to combat unsafe conditions is to either pull over somewhere safe until the weather subsides, or simply slow your vehicle.
Every day, we hear stories of people who could have been saved if they had been wearing their seatbelts. Now that winter is here and the weather can change road conditions from normal to treacherous in a matter of a few minutes, it is vital that you take all possible safety precautions before driving. This includes checking mirrors and fluids, securing passengers, and buckling your own safety belt before pulling away.
Source: WPXI.com, "Icy roads may have contributed to crash that killed 22-year-old mother" 9 December 2013