1 Person Taken by Helicopter, 3 Others Injured After Multi-Vehicle Crash in Ferguson Township

A Pennsylvania Furnace man was flown to the hospital by helicopter and three other people were injured after a multi-vehicle crash Monday morning in Ferguson Township.

At about 10:30 a.m., an SUV traveling westbound on West College Avenue struck another SUV that was stopped at a red traffic light at the Science Park Road intersection, Ferguson Township Police Chief Chris Albright said. The force of the impact pushed the stopped vehicle into the intersection, where it struck a U.S. Postal Service vehicle that was turning left from Science Park Road onto West College Avenue eastbound.

Albright said it appeared the driver of the striking vehicle, 50-year-old Darin Verbeck, did not apply the brakes before hitting the stopped vehicle.

Verbeck was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to UPMC Altoona. The driver in the stopped vehicle, 48-year-old Rachel Breon, and a 17-year-old passenger, as well as the driver of the postal vehicle, Taylor Woods, were taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for treatment and evaluation.

Ferguson Township and Patton Township police, Centre LifeLink EMS and Alpha Fire Company responded to the scene.

The crash is still under investigation.

West College Avenue between Blue Course Drive and Bristol Avenue and Science Park Road between Pine Hall Road and College Avenue were closed from 10:35 a.m. until shortly just before noon.