National Guardsman, 22, Dies in Multi-Vehicle Crash on Highway While Driving to College amid Whiteout Conditions

A 22-year-old man was killed in a multi-vehicle crash during whiteout conditions on a Pennsylvania interstate, authorities said.

Pennsylvania State Police said the crash happened Thursday, Jan. 15, at about 11:45 a.m. on Interstate 79 south in Jackson Township.

According to a police report, a semi-trailer was stopped in the right lane when another semi-trailer struck it from behind. That second truck then came to a stop in the left lane. Police said a third vehicle later hit the rear of the second semi-trailer, suffering major damage to the front and driver’s side.

The Mercer County Coroner’s Office confirmed to CBS Pittsburgh and YourErie that the driver of the third vehicle, Austin Golab of Erie, died in the crash.

The coroner said Golab was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and chest from injuries sustained in the collision, and his death was ruled accidental.

Police said one other person was taken to a local hospital, though the person’s injuries were not immediately known.

According to Golab’s obituary, he served in the National Guard and had returned to Pennsylvania after being deployed to Kenya with the 1st Platoon Weapons Squad, where he was a weapons team lead for Blacksheep Company. After returning to the U.S., he enrolled at Slippery Rock University to study cybersecurity. The obituary said he was on his way to school when the fatal crash occurred.

“Austin loved going to the gym, bicycling and going out with friends,” the obituary states. “Anyone that knew Austin would say he was one of the nicest people, easy-going, easy to coach, and a good friend to all. Austin will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

In addition to his parents, Golab is survived by his sister, his paternal grandparents, and extended family members, as well as “a very special dog named Cooper,” the obituary said. His funeral is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 23.

The crash shut down the roadway for about four hours as winter weather affected travel across the region. State police said the wreck occurred “during whiteout conditions on snow-covered roads.”

ABC News reported that two winter storms were expected to move through the East over the weekend, with an arctic blast forecast for next week.

The National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh also urged drivers to be cautious amid heavy snow. In a post on X, the agency warned: “It only takes a little snow to create dangerous conditions on the interstate.”

“Please, slow down and use extreme caution when traveling through passing snow bands,” the agency said.