Tractor-Trailier Topples World War I Memorial in Pittsburgh
A driver struck the 1920 monument in the Troy Hill neighborhood early Sunday morning before leaving the scene, prompting a multi-agency search.
By Olga Menon ·
A stone monument honoring local veterans of the First World War lies on its side in Pittsburgh after being struck by a semi-truck in the early hours of Sunday.
Pittsburgh police are searching for the driver, who knocked over the structure in the Troy Hill neighborhood just before 4 a.m. The incident occurred as the vehicle attempted to exit a parking lot on Lowrie Street.
Neighbors awoke to the sound of a truck revving its engine. Josh Brower and Maura Bittle observed the driver spending at least five minutes maneuvering the tractor-trailer onto the narrow street. The vehicle eventually cleared the parking lot but clipped the monument before continuing down the road.
"They finally get unstuck, go through the grass over there, and hit the monument, and then fully topple it and just drive off down the street," Brower said. The monument, installed in 1920, lists Troy Hill residents who served in World War I. It now rests on the ground surrounded by traffic cones and police tape.
Pittsburgh Public Safety reported that the initial call described a stuck or illegally parked semi-truck. A subsequent call confirmed the driver had struck a utility pole and the war memorial. The department stated the driver did not remain at the scene. Police are currently reviewing security footage to identify the vehicle's owner.
Reserve Township police posted on social media Sunday morning that a tractor-trailer had become stuck a short distance away, causing minor property damage. A photo from that scene showed a truck bearing the same logo as the vehicle captured on the Troy Hill cameras. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety told KDKA-TV that police are working with Reserve Township to confirm a link between the two incidents.
The driver's identity remains unknown. KDKA-TV contacted Fastmovers Express Inc., the company name visible on the truck's cab, but the firm had not responded as of Sunday. Pittsburgh police have asked witnesses to call the Zone 1 department at 412-323-7201.
