Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Cranberry Township Man Killed in I-79 Crash in Franklin Park Was WTAE Employee

The longtime account executive strikes truck near Wexford exit, according to state police.

A Cranberry Township man who was a WTAE employee died this morning after the car he was driving collided with a tractor-trailer cab truck, went off the road and crashed on Interstate 79 near the Wexford exit to Route 910, state police said.

Hector Damian Davila, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene after the 12:57 a.m. crash, troopers said.  The truck driver, identified by police as Christopher E. Shipp, 44, of Mercersburg, Franklin County, suffered minor injuries.

Troopers said Davila was driving a BMW and was speeding while traveling north on I-79 in the center lane.  Shipp's truck was northbound in the center lane of Interstate 279, police said.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Beyond the merge point of the two highways, Davila's car was behind Shipp's truck but Davila did not immediately see the truck because he was traveling too fast, police said.  The bumper of his car hit the rear bumper of the truck, then traveled northeast for 268 feet before hitting a utility pole and rolling over, police said.

According to WTAE, Davila had been an account executive for WTAE since July 1993 and was a three-time Hearst Eagle Award winner.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash.

 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.