HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Shattered glass and debris -- along with fresh flowers placed nearby -- mark the spot where a 17-year-old boy died and three other teens were hurt in a car crash late Tuesday night.
A moving truck and a car collided shortly before 11 p.m. on a curved section of Springhill Road in Harrison Township, Allegheny County, near the intersection with Freeport Road.
Slideshow: Pictures From The ScenePolice said Michael Martinka, of Natrona, was killed, and the driver and two passengers were hurt in the crash. Martinka was a Highlands High School student, as are the two injured passengers.
"They were very much involved, and particularly the student who passed away was involved and had a lot of good friends, so this is going to be a wide-reaching effect," said Dr. Karen King, the Highlands School District's director of pupil personnel services.
Laurie Naugle, a manager at the McDonald's restaurant where Martinka worked in Natrona Heights, said Martinka was about to be named employee of the month for June and was constantly asking for more hours because he wanted money to buy a car.
Channel 4 Action News' Amber Nicotra reported that the stretch of road where the crash happened has a number of curves.
"A lot of people have had accidents up there. They don't have no markers or anything for the speed limit," said Jason Goheen, of Natrona Heights.
Signs posted at the top and bottom of the hill remind drivers to slow down, but some say it's of little use.
"If you're not on your brakes, you're going to go pretty fast. And if not, the people that are on their brakes are going to get hit because they're worried about staying on the speed limit and people behind them are not," said Sarah Brozda, of Natrona Heights.
"I think they should, like, mark the curb more. You know what I mean? Fluorescent paint or yellow paint or something, so you could see it at nighttime," said Goheen.
The crash remains under investigation. An autopsy will determine Martinka's official cause of death.
The school said counselors were at the school on Wednesday to help students cope with the loss.
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