Nov 26, 2012 2 min read

A North Strabane Township man was injured early Thursday when he crashed his pickup truck into the wooded area off Route 19.

Joshua Lee Owens, 33, of 503 Linden Road, was found by North Strabane police about an hour after the wreckage of his truck was discovered in an area off Route 19 southbound at the ramp to Route 519.

Police were on patrol about 1:20 a.m. when they found the truck over the hill in the wooded area near the Route 519 Park-N-Ride. Police had just passed the area about 20 minutes earlier.

When they checked the truck, police found no one inside but saw a large amount of blood. The truck was registered to Owens. They checked his home, but he was not there.

At 2:35 a.m., police were called by residents of 965 S. Central Ave. The residents, who do not live far from the crash site, said a man was banging on the door, asking for a ride.

When police arrived, they found Owens on the patio of the home. He appeared to be highly intoxicated and was bleeding, police said. Owens reportedly admitted to drinking. Police said he was carrying a switchblade knife.

Owens was taken to Canonsburg General Hospital and then transferred to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, A spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh hospital said there was no record of his treatment.

Police said it appeared he was getting off Route 19 and took the ramp at a high speed. North Strabane firefighters had to cut down trees so a tow truck could remove the truck from the woods.

Police will obtain a search warrant for hospital records to determine if Owens was under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Charges are pending the outcome of those tests.