An 18-year-old young man from Pittsburgh was killed and nine others were injured after a massive pileup on Interstate 79 in Jackson Township, Butler County, on Friday morning.Â
At least 25 vehicles were involved in the crash and 20 others got stuck on the interstate, authorities said. Evan Gingo, a Slippery Rock University student, died in the crash, which closed Interstate 79 for hours in both directions.Â
One person was killed after a 25-vehicle pileup on Interstate 79 in Butler County on Feb. 6, 2026.Â
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
Cassandra Summerill, of Harmony, narrowly escaped the mile-long incident on the northbound side of the interstate.Â
“It was just dominoes. It’s one after another,” Summerill told KDKA.
The roads were fine on her way home to Harmony from Cranberry on Friday morning. However, that all changed when she went around a bend and reached the top of a hill.
“As soon as I hit my brakes, they locked up. It was a solid sheet of ice,” Summerill said.
She slid down as about 10 cars went sideways and crashed in front of her. She said she came to a stop and avoided the wreckage.Â
“All you could just hear was boom after boom after boom of all the cars,” Summerill said.
In the mix of the crash was a tractor-trailer that jackknifed across the whole road.
“At the very last second before he hit us, he was able to veer off into the middle grassy median,” Summerill said.
One person was killed after a 25-vehicle pileup on Interstate 79 in Butler County on Feb. 6, 2026.Â
Wendy Graff
Within a few minutes of the near-miss, Summerill made a quick decision, with her brother and 1-year-old in the small car with her.
“We have to get out of here, like we’re going to get killed,” Summerill said.
With car parts all over the road and vehicles completely turned around, she found a gap to get off Interstate 79. Summerill was lucky, just like Wendy Graff, who was with her husband near the back of the crash.
“The cars are pinned to end to each other. They can’t open their doors. They had to use the jaws of life to get a gentleman out,” Graff said.
Stuck on Interstate 79 for about three hours, Graff watched first responders tend to each vehicle involved, as she processed the horrifying ordeal.
“It was definitely the scariest I’ve ever been,” Graff said. “I just kept telling my husband thank you for being such a wonderful driver.”
Still shaken up, both families are grateful to be alive, knowing others had it much worse.
“I don’t know how or why we were one of the only ones to make it out,” Summerill said. “I feel very sorry for all the other people that were involved.”
The incident remains under investigation.
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