FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- An Edinboro woman has died and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers from the barracks at Girard were injured in an early-morning crash Sunday between a car and a police vehicle in western Erie County, according to a news release from Troop E headquarters in Erie.
Donna Platz, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3:34 a.m. crash at Route 98 and Sterrettania Road by Lyle Cook, Erie County coroner. The two troopers, Frederick Schimp and Garrett Padasak, were taken to the trauma unit at UPMC Hamot in Erie for treatment, according to police.
Preliminary investigation of the crash found Trooper Schimp was driving a 2013 Ford Explorer police sport utility vehicle west on Sterrettania Road when he failed to stop at the intersection with Route 98, according to state police. The police SUV was not responding to a call at the time of the crash, police said.
Schimp then drove the police SUV directly into the intersection where it was struck in the left front by a northbound car driven by Platz, police said.
Platz, Schimp and passenger Trooper Padasak all were wearing seat belts, police said.
A state police accident reconstruction specialist from Troop E headquarters in Erie is assigned to the investigation.
Troop E consists of barracks in Erie, Girard, Corry, Meadville, Franklin and Warren.
See Sunday's print edition of The Meadville Tribune for addition details.
Copyright 2014 - The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
