Mother and child killed in crash on I-70 in Washington County identified
The woman and her child who died Sunday afternoon after being thrown from their car in a crash on Interstate 70 in Washington County have been identified.
Abdul-Salami Touray, 4, of Columbus, Ohio, was a rear-seat passenger and one of three occupants of a vehicle that crashed around 1 p.m. near the Claysville exit, according to a Washington County Coroner’s report.
His mother, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was identified late Monday as Aisha Trawally, 25, of Columbus.
According to state police, the car was heading west toward the state line with West Virginia when the man driving it lost control. The car went up and over the center median — described as a roughly 20-foot hill embankment — and traveled down the hill gaining speed into the eastbound lanes.
The car hit an eastbound tractor-trailer, causing the car to spin out. Abdul-Salami and his mother, who was in the front passenger seat, were thrown out of the car.
According to the Washington County coroner’s office, the driver and Touray were not wearing seat belts, and Abdul-Salami was not in a child seat.
The toddler was taken by helicopter to UPMC Washington Hospital and died in the emergency department, according to the coroner’s office.
The driver was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital, the coroner’s office said. State police described his injuries as minor.
The tractor-trailer was pushed off the road, where it went up a hill and hit an occupied home.
The driver of the tractor-trailer and people inside the home were evaluated and released, state police said.
State police did not say how many people were in the house.
An investigation is ongoing.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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