Rostraver Township in Collinsburg in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Tragic Train Accident

Photographed by Bradley Owen, July 31, 2024

1. Tragic Train Accident Marker

Inscription.
On September 17, 1952, at this intersection, a southbound P&LE steam engine struck a school bus headed for the Rostraver High School at Pricedale. Four students were killed and forty-four others were injured. Many of the survivors were in critical condition for days, some suffering disabilities their entire lives.

In memory of those Rostraver Township students denied the full measure of their lives.

Norma Jean Bergman 14
Leola Gertrude Bradley 13
Janice Darlene Everett 17
Ronald Soyka 17

Erected 2019 by The Rostraver Township Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is September 17, 1952.

Location. 40° 13.49′ N, 79° 46.067′ W. Marker is in Collinsburg, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland County. It is in Rostraver Township. It is at the intersection of Collinsburg Road and German Street, on the left when traveling north on Collinsburg Road. Marker is located on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 434 Collinsburg Road, West Newton PA 15089, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Laurel Highlands

and in Greater Pittsburgh.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Collinsburg Veterans Memorial

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(within shouting distance of this marker); West Newton (approx. 0.9 miles away); Pioneer Point Sculpture (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named West Newton (approx. 0.9 miles away); West Newton Town Map And Directory / Trail Map And Points Of Interest (approx. 0.9 miles away); West Newton Honor Roll (approx. one mile away); United States Radiator Corporation Honor Roll (approx. 1.2 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away).

Regarding Tragic Train Accident. Portion of a newspaper article taken from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Friday, Sept. 19, 1952

Six in School Bus Crash On Serious List

Four Students Dead As Inquiry Begins In Crossing Mishap

Six teenagers remained in serious condition last night from the school bus-train accident which killed four high school students Wednesday, in Westmoreland County. Four of the students have never regained consciousness. More than 40 were injured in the early morning crash at Collinsburg crossing near West Newton.

The stoicism of the 22 year-old bus driver, Edward Steiner, came to light yesterday when it was disclosed he had limped

Photographed by Bradley Owen, July 31, 2024

2. Tragic Train Accident Marker

about the scene for several hours, helping the injured, not knowing his left leg was broken below the knee.

Driver to Be Questioned

Steiner, in Charleroi-Monessen Hospital in "fair" condition with other injuries as well, will be questioned more at length later and may be held under bond in the accident. Blame for the disaster has not been placed, but State Police, the Westmoreland district attorney's office, the Public Utility Commission and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad all are investigating.

The school bus, packed with nearly 50 Rostraver Township High School students, was clipped in the rear by a P & LE freight train at an unguarded crossing in a heavy morning fog.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,291 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2024, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.