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Road Called Dangerous After Crash Kills Bachelor Party, Young Wife

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ThePittsburghChannel.Com
updated 11:51 a.m. ET Oct. 27, 2009

SOUTH BEAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. - THE PITTSBURGH CHANNEL.com

While police have yet to determine the official cause, they suspect that speed may have played a role in

a terrible car crash that killed four people

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on Route 51 in Beaver County.

Louis Young, 23, Joshua Tate, 22, and Bryan Atkinson, 23, were celebrating Young's bachelor party on Saturday night when their car collided with a pickup truck at the intersection of routes 51 and 168 in South Beaver Township just before midnight.

"He had two beautiful kids. That's all I can think of is Megan and those two kids," said Young's relative, Jessica Ours.

(Scroll down for trust fund donation information.)

A passenger in the pickup truck who was wearing a seat belt -- Jessica DeMarco, 25, of the Chippewa/Darlington Township area -- died at the scene, according to the deputy coroner.

The pickup truck's driver was identified as DeMarco's 25-year-old husband, Daniel. He was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. As of Monday afternoon, his condition is listed as critical.

Family members told Channel 4 Action News that the DeMarcos would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary shortly.

State Rep. Jim Christiana said he thinks a traffic light at the intersection would save lives.

"I mean, just to visit the site today to say a prayer, and almost saw the exact same scenario happen," said Christiana, R-Beaver County. "It is a very dangerous intersection. You're crossing four lanes of traffic with no stoplight."

PennDOT recommended that a light be installed, and the state came up with the money to do it, but the South Beaver Township government did not want to pay for the maintenance, according to Christiana.

"We can't make the municipality install it. All we can ask is that the community -- not just that municipality -- but the entire community and the county get involved and help that local municipality take the actions that need to be taken," Christiana said.

People who drive the road told Channel 4 Action News reporter Amber Nicotra that it's not uncommon for cars to move very fast through the intersection where the accident happened.

"Especially at night, everybody likes to fly out here. Especially kids. I've even done it myself. I've had numerous wrecks of my own and things," said Tom Jasper, a friend of the three men who died.

Jasper said he was looking forward to Young's wedding this Saturday. Instead, the excitement turned to sadness and thoughts of what needs to be done to prevent future tragedies.

"It seems like places where they should have red lights and things, they don't," Jasper said. "But they have a whole pile of them over there, where they could have had overpasses and things to keep the traffic flowing where it needs to be. And here they have nothing."

Channel 4 Action News reported that police officers on Tuesday will try to reconstruct what happened during the fatal crash. They're also waiting for toxicology tests to determine if drugs or alcohol were factors.

A fund has been set up for Young's children. Donations may be sent to:

Bricyn Robert and Carson Louis Young trust fund

C/o West-Aircomm Federal Credit Union

P.O. Box 568

Beaver, PA 15009

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