By Larissa Dudkiewicz
A Rochester woman was killed Friday morning in Ambridge after her car was slammed from the back by a large box truck on Route 65.
Debra Douds, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy performed by the Beaver County Coroner's office determined that Douds died of massive internal injuries.
"It's just terrible," said Ambridge Police Chief James Mann. "I feel so sorry for the family. People need to pray for the victim and her family."
Mann said the fatal crash happened southbound on Route 65 shortly before 7 a.m. Douds was headed to work at Masonic Village in Aleppo Township, and stopped at the red light on 65 at Fourth Street when a Penske box truck driven by Jeremy Ray Hurst, 36, of Memphis, hit her car from behind.
Route 65 was shut down in both directions for about four hours.
Mann said Hurst told authorities he dozed off at the wheel. He never applied his brakes and the impact pushed Douds' car 257 feet before both vehicles came to a stop, police said.
Police said the box truck had a gross weight of 26,000 pounds and didn't require a CDL license to operate, though if the truck one pound more, the driver would have been required to have a CDL license.
Police said Hurst was living in the North Hills area and working for a roofing company in Avonworth.
He was taken to the police station for questioning and found to have an outstanding warrant out of Tennessee for manufacturing methamphetamine and a theft charge. He is lodged in the Beaver County Jail awaiting extradition, police said.
Police are waiting for the results of a Hurst's blood test, which could take a few weeks, and plan to download information from the black box inside the truck.
"Our investigation will probably take a month to two months before it's complete. As we complete our investigation, we'll discuss with the District Attorney's office what charges to file," Mann said.
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A Rochester woman was killed Friday morning in Ambridge after her car was slammed from the back by a large box truck on Route 65.
Debra Douds, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy performed by the Beaver County Coroner's office determined that Douds died of massive internal injuries.
"It's just terrible," said Ambridge Police Chief James Mann. "I feel so sorry for the family. People need to pray for the victim and her family."
Mann said the fatal crash happened southbound on Route 65 shortly before 7 a.m. Douds was headed to work at Masonic Village in Aleppo Township, and stopped at the red light on 65 at Fourth Street when a Penske box truck driven by Jeremy Ray Hurst, 36, of Memphis, hit her car from behind.
Route 65 was shut down in both directions for about four hours.
Mann said Hurst told authorities he dozed off at the wheel. He never applied his brakes and the impact pushed Douds' car 257 feet before both vehicles came to a stop, police said.
Police said the box truck had a gross weight of 26,000 pounds and didn't require a CDL license to operate, though if the truck one pound more, the driver would have been required to have a CDL license.
Police said Hurst was living in the North Hills area and working for a roofing company in Avonworth.
He was taken to the police station for questioning and found to have an outstanding warrant out of Tennessee for manufacturing methamphetamine and a theft charge. He is lodged in the Beaver County Jail awaiting extradition, police said.
Police are waiting for the results of a Hurst's blood test, which could take a few weeks, and plan to download information from the black box inside the truck.
"Our investigation will probably take a month to two months before it's complete. As we complete our investigation, we'll discuss with the District Attorney's office what charges to file," Mann said.
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