Cal U. student killed in crash
A student at California University of Pennsylvania died Monday night in a Pittsburgh hospital, where he was flown for treatment after a one-vehicle crash on Route 88, one-half mile north of High Point Tavern.
California police said Mason Reiff, 21, of Denver, Lancaster County, was pronounced dead at Allegheny General Hospital.
Reiff, a junior at California, was one of four people ejected from a 1995 Ford Mustang when it crashed about 7:50 p.m. Information was not available on the other three occupants, who also were flown to Allegheny General.
“This is a sad day for our Cal U. community as we mourn the death of Mason Reiff, a student in the communications studies program,” said Christine Kindl, university spokeswoman, in a statement released by the university. “The university extends heartfelt condolences to Mason’s family, friends and classmates.”
Police said the vehicle went out of control at the top of a downhill grade and skidded into the hillside on the opposite side of the road. The car then crossed the road and struck the guardrail on the northbound side of Route 88.
A spokesman at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said an autopsy would be done later Tuesday or today to determine Reiff’s cause of death.
He is the 16th person killed on Washington County roads this year.