Coroner: Friday crash claims one life

May 4—HAYFIELD TOWNSHIP — A two-vehicle crash in northern Crawford County late Friday afternoon claimed one life and remains under investigation.

A sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a car collided head-on on Route 98 in Hayfield Township around 5:35 p.m., Crawford County Coroner Eric Coston confirmed to The Meadville Tribune this afternoon.

The crash happened on Route 98 about 2.5 miles north of the intersection of routes 98 and 198. Pennsylvania State Police at Meadville are continuing to investigate the cause.

The driver of the SUV, James D. Barnhart, 81, of South Morgan Street, Meadville, was pronounced dead at the scene by Coston. The preliminary ruling on the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma to the chest, pending completion of the crash investigation, according to the coroner.

The driver of the car and one other person — believed to be a passenger in Barnhart's SUV — were transported to UPMC Hamot in Erie for medical treatment, Coston said. One person was taken to UPMC Hamot by Springboro Ambulance Service while the other was flown by STAT MedEvac helicopter ambulance.

Barnhart's remains were have been released to Robert L. Snyder Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. of Sheakleyville, which is handling funeral arrangements, Coston said.

No additional details were available Saturday afternoon.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the funeral home handling arrangements.