NEED TO KNOW
- A 22-year-old man has died in a multi-vehicle crash amid whiteout weather conditions in Pennsylvania
- Austin Golab’s car collided with a semi-truck that had veered into his lane after that semi crashed into another semi
- Golab, who had just enrolled at Slippery Rock University, was on his way to school when the fatal crash occurred
A 22-year-old man has died in a multi-vehicle crash amid whiteout weather conditions in Pennsylvania.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the crash occurred on Thursday, Jan. 15, around 11:45 a.m. on Interstate 79 south in Jackson Township.
A police report stated that a semi-trailer was stopped in the right lane when another semi-struck hit it from behind. The second semi-trailer came to a stop in the left lane, and a third vehicle hit the rear end of it, sustaining major damage to the front and driver’s side.
The Mercer County Coroner’s Office confirmed to CBS Pittsburgh and YourErie that Austin Golab of Erie was the driver of the third vehicle who died in the crash.
The coroner confirmed that Golab was pronounced dead at the scene, and his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and chest from injuries sustained in the crash. His death was ruled accidental.
National Weather Service Pittsburgh/X
One other person was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries, police said.
According to his obituary, Golab was a member of the National Guard and had returned home to Pennsylvania after being deployed to Kenya 1st Platoon Weapons Squad, where he was the weapons team lead for Blacksheep Company.
He had enrolled at Slippery Rock University after returning to the U.S. to continue his education in cybersecurity. He was on his way to school when the fatal crash occurred, per the obit.
Austin Golab/Facebook
“Austin loved going to the gym, bicycling and going out with friends,” his obituary states. ”Anyone that knew Austin would say he was one of the nicest people, easy-going, easy to coach, and a good friend to all. Austin will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”
In addition to his parents, Austin is survived by his sister, his paternal grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins as well as “a very special dog named Cooper.” His funeral is set for Friday, Jan. 23.
The deadly crash, which closed the roadway for about four hours, comes as a multiple winter storms blanketed the Great Lakes and East Coast in snow. State police said that the crash happened “during whiteout conditions on snow-covered roads.”
ABC News reported that two winter storms were set to move through the East over the weekend, and an arctic blast is forecast for next week.
The first round of snow showers moved through early Saturday morning from the central Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and Virginia up into Pennsylvania, as well as New England. The next round moves in later Saturday morning.
Earlier this month, at least six people were killed during Winter Storm Blair, which tore across the mainland United States, bringing dangerous snow and ice along with it.
This deadly winter storm has impacted more than a dozen states from coast to coast since Jan. 4. Some areas saw more than a foot of snow. The cold temperatures are also expected to dip as far south as Florida.
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The polar vortex will be active in the U.S. for at least the next 10 to 14 days, closing out January on a cold note, according to AccuWeather.
In a post on X, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh warned drivers to take care amid the heavy snow, writing: “It only takes a little snow to create dangerous conditions on the interstate.”
“Please, slow down and use extreme caution when traveling through passing snow bands,” the agency said.
