THOSE DRIVERS IF NEEDED, AS THEY CAME BACK UP TO THE SURFACE. AND FOR MANY PITTSBURGHERS, YESTERDAY’S CRASH INTO THE MON RIVER WAS A FAMILIAR SCENE. IT WAS JANUARY 1984, ALMOST EXACTLY 42 YEARS AGO, THAT DOCTOR DAVID TUMOR, A PROFESSOR AT CMU, WAS KILLED. WITNESSES AT THE TIME SAID HE WAS TRAVELING OUTBOUND ON THE PARKWAY EAST WHEN HIS COMPACT VEHICLE SLID ON ICE, WENT OUT OF CONTROL OVER A GUARDRAIL AND DOWN INTO THE MONONGAHELA RIVER. CMU NOW HAS AN AWARD NAMED IN HONOR OF TUMO
Deadly crash into Pittsburgh’s Mon River serves as reminder about similar incident in 1984
CMU professor David Tuma was killed in January 1984
Updated: 7:12 AM EST Jan 30, 2026
Thursday’s deadly crash into the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh served as a reminder of a similar crash near that same location.In January 1984, CMU professor David Tuma was killed.At the time, witnesses said Tuma was travelling outbound on the Parkway East when his compact vehicle slid on ice, went out of control over a guardrail and down into the Monongahela River.The crash happened near the same location as Thursday’s incident, which killed Jacinta Stevens, 31, of the West End.
PITTSBURGH —
Thursday’s deadly crash into the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh served as a reminder of a similar crash near that same location.
In January 1984, CMU professor David Tuma was killed.
At the time, witnesses said Tuma was travelling outbound on the Parkway East when his compact vehicle slid on ice, went out of control over a guardrail and down into the Monongahela River.
The crash happened near the same location as Thursday’s incident, which killed Jacinta Stevens, 31, of the West End.