Pittsburgh Police Commander Suffers Injuries in Head-On Collision

A Pittsburgh Police commander was seriously injured in a head-on collision Friday afternoon on Steubenville Pike/Route 60 in Robinson Township.

Police said the driver, Cmdr. Linda Rosato Barone, was conscious and alert as she was being taken to Allegheny General Hospital, WTAE reported. She was driving her department-issued Chevrolet Impala about 3 p.m. when the accident occurred, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

An employee at  about a quarter-mile from the crash scene, said the collision occurred around 3:15 p.m. The employee, who did not want to be identified, said workers had to cut someone from the unmarked police vehicle after it went over a hill.

 responded to a call near 705 Steubenville Pike involving one car over a hillside, with people trapped inside. Robinson Chief Dale Vietmeier told KDKA it appeared a minivan traveling west on Steubenville Pike crossed the center lane and into the eastbound lane and struck the police car head on.

Vietmeier said three people were injured, one seriously.

The Post-Gazette reports that the commander suffered serious injuries, including a fractured femur and pelvis.

The chief said Barone's teenage daughter was traveling with her and suffered minor injuries, according to the Post-Gazette.

The van driver, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Allegheny General Hospital with bleeding from the head and difficulty breathing, the Post-Gazette reported.

As of 6 p.m., traffic was backed up about a mile in both directions on Steubenville Pike, off the Crafton exit of Interstate-79.

Police were directing traffic, alternating traffic through one lane that is open.