SALEM, PENNSYLVANIA — A tractor-trailer driver has been arrested on homicide by vehicle charges in connection with a March crash that killed a school van driver at a busy intersection in Westmoreland County, according to Pennsylvania State Police and court documents.

^{Photo credit: Shane Dunlap | TribLive}

State police said Isaac D. Stemple, 23, of Belington, West Virginia, was arrested Monday and later released on $100,000 unsecured bail.

Troopers said the crash happened around 7 a.m. March 7 on Route 22 in Salem, at the intersection with Route 819, when a school van driven by Rene Davis, 60, of Hempfield, entered the intersection after a traffic light turned green and was struck by an eastbound tractor-trailer hauling lumber. Police said an SUV on the opposite side of Route 819 also entered the intersection on the green light and was hit as well.

^{Photo credit: Shane Dunlap | TribLive}

Investigators said Davis was killed in the crash. The SUV was driven by a 17-year-old Greensburg Salem student, who was taken to a hospital in stable condition, troopers said. Police said Stemple was not injured, and there were no passengers in the school van, which was owned by DMJ Transportation. Authorities said Davis had worked for DMJ since August 2023.

^{Photo credit: Shane Dunlap | TribLive}

According to court papers, Stemple told investigators sun glare prevented him from seeing the traffic lights as he approached the intersection and that he was reaching for his sunglasses when he looked up and saw the signal but could not tell what color it was. Trooper Matthew D. Stercho wrote in the complaint that Stemple said he was unfamiliar with the area and the traffic lights.

^{Photo credit: wpxi}

Troopers said dash camera video from the tractor-trailer showed multiple red traffic signals while the truck approached the intersection, and investigators noted a “red signal ahead” warning sign was posted about 1,000 feet before the intersection. Police also said speed was not the primary factor, but Stemple was traveling between 51 and 56 mph in a 45 mph zone, and investigators reported no mechanical malfunctions with any of the vehicles involved.

Stemple is charged with homicide by vehicle, two counts of reckless endangerment, and 10 summary offenses related to allegedly failing to stop at the red light, speeding, and vehicle-related violations, troopers said.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 2, according to court records.

📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.