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May 16, 2008

Two people killed in crash

State police are investigating a double traffic fatality Tuesday night in North Beaver Township.

Gerald C. Murberger Jr., 26, of 1681 Mount Jackson Road, Enon Valley, was flown to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown. Police said he was pronounced dead in the hospital emergency room at 11:19 p.m.

His passenger, Christina M. Hammond, 21, of 1505 Belmont St., New Castle, was pronounced dead at 12:02 a.m. by the emergency room doctor at Jameson Hospital, according to Lawrence County Coroner Russell S. Noga.

Police said the vehicle, traveling at excessive speed, was eastbound on Columbiana Road near Smalls Ferry Road just before 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The car left the road and struck a tree, police said. This caused severe damage to the entire vehicle, ejected Murberger and trapped Hammond inside, they said.

Noga said Hammond died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and pelvis.

He said Hammond had been extracted from the vehicle by the North Beaver Volunteer Fire Department. She had been wearing a seat belt, he said.

“There was severe damage to the front, right passenger side of the vehicle when it hit the tree,” Noga said. “She took the force of the impact.”

In addition to the fire department, the state police were assisted by Northwest Lawrence Regional and Bessemer police departments.

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