2 people hurt when driver breaks through OpenStreetsPGH course barriers

PITTSBURGH — A driver broke through the barriers at a car-free event in Pittsburgh on Sunday, injuring two people.

Parts of several roads in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhoods were closed to vehicles on Sunday for the first OpenStreetsPGH event of the year, which encourages people to explore their community and reimagine streets as places for people.

A Pittsburgh police spokesperson says the report of a woman driving along the route came in at 11 a.m.

The driver first struck a man with the vehicle’s sideview mirror at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and North Braddock Avenue, knocking him to the ground.

She then hit a woman near the intersection of Thomas Boulevard and Brushton Avenue.

Neither victim needed to be taken to a hospital.

According to a statement from BikePGH, the non-profit organization that puts on the series of events, the driver did not observe two layers of posted barricades and street closures and instead “aggressively broke through” and entered the closed course.

BikePGH said one of their staffers, who was protecting event attendees, was one of the people hurt.

The non-profit said “the situation was immediately handled” by Pittsburgh police, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and event safety staff on site.

In a statement, Sheriff Kevin Kraus said three deputies from his office assigned to the public safety detail for the event stopped the vehicle after the second collision.

He says the female driver then became “verbally abusive and non-compliant” with commands. Eventually, the driver’s side window of the vehicle was broken and the woman was taken into custody. Charges are forthcoming.

“I want to commend the quick action of these deputies to immediately intervene in a dangerous situation, preventing further escalation by this driver,” Sheriff Kraus’ statement said in part.

Event organizers call the incident “deeply unfortunate.”

“We’ve been hosting this event since 2014 and this is the first time an incident of this kind has occurred. We are proud of our decade long record of maintaining a safe event for thousands of people of all ages to enjoy,” BikePGH’s statement said in part.

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