Body found in river after crash

By Renatta Signorini

A body was discovered in the Youghiogheny River on Monday afternoon after rescuers responded to a report of a person jumping into the river following a crash on Interstate 70, according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher.

The crash was reported at 2:40 p.m. on the westbound side of the highway, at a bridge that carries the interstate over the river between Rostraver and South Huntingdon townships, near the Smithton exit.

The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene just before 3 p.m.

River rescue teams and firefighting units from Yukon, Rostraver, Collinsburg, Sutersville and Turkeytown responded.

Part of the Great Allegheny Passage was blocked off temporarily by county Park Police in Cedar Creek Park as first responders worked further down the trail by the river.