Back-to-Back Crashes in Cumberland County

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Published on July 1 2017 9:20 am
Last Updated on July 1 2017 9:20 am
Written by Greg Sapp

One crash led to another Friday night on I-70 in Cumberland County.

The first crash happened at 6:20pm when a truck ran off the roadway.

State police report a vehicle driven by 20-year-old Olivia Slosson of St. Louis swerved left and then overcorrected back to the right. The truck then left the roadway to the right and struck the guardrail. The vehicle then overturned onto its top and came to rest in the right lane of the eastbound roadway. The crash happened about halfway between Montrose and Greenup.

Slosson was taken by Greenup Ambulance to Montrose where Air Evac took her for treatment. Slosson was cited for improper lane usage.

The second crash occurred at 8:25pm.

Due to the earlier crash, eastbound traffic was experiencing intermittent slowing and stopping leading to a traffic backup. A pickup truck driven by 36-year-old Gilbert Sidener of Salem came upon the crash scene and could not stop in time to avoid rear-ending a SUV driven by 34-year-old Samuel Murray of Swansea. The impact knocked the Murray vehicle off the roadway into the median, while Sidener's vehicle came to rest down an embankment on the south side of the interstate.

Sidener's passenger, 36-year-old April Lepes of Salem, was injured as was a juvenile girl who was also a passenger. Lepes was taken to Terre Haute Regional Hospital. 

Sidener was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash, driving too fast for conditions, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.