A 77-year-old school van driver is dead and two students were injured in a van accident last Friday morning. The accident occurred at 6:00 a.m. as the school van was on its route. The driver of the van died at the scene of the accident. The two students that were injured in the crash are sisters and were taken to a hospital for the treatment of minor injuries.

According to police, the van struck a road barrier used to guard a railroad trestle. After the van hit the road barrier it continued to travel another 100 yards and smacked into a utility pole. The school van then rolled twice and landed on its wheels against another utility pole. At the end of the crash the school van was facing the wrong way on a sidewalk outside of the Allegheny County medical examiner's office.

It is not clear what caused the van accident, and investigators who were present at the scene are not sure whether the condition of the road was a factor in the accident. Police and forensic investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash and the death of the 77-year-old driver. It is also not clear whether the 77-year-old driver of the school van was wearing his seat belt or not. The two sisters wore their seat belt during the automobile accident and suffered minor injuries.

The 77-year-old driver drove the two sisters and two other students to school every day. A spokesperson for the school district said the driver was well liked by students and parents.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Police Probe Fatal School Van Accident," Jim McKinnon, 11/6/10