May 24, 2016 2 min read

Three people were injured early Tuesday in a crash that occurred after a chase involving state police.

Injured were the car’s occupants, Timothy Romanetti Jr., 19, of Hickory; Shea Carroll, 19, of Washington, and Rachel Phillips, 19, of Washington, state police said.

Romanetti and Phillips were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle.

Phillips was found on the road while Romanetti was next to the car, police said. Both were taken to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh, Phillips by medical helicopter. Both were seriously injured.

Carroll was wearing a seat belt and was taken to Washington Hospital with moderate injuries.

Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor at Troop B in Washington, said investigators were still working to determine who was driving the car.

Police attempted to stop the vehicle on Lynn Portal Road in Mt. Pleasant Township at about 4:30 a.m., for an equipment violation. The trooper turned around his cruiser and tried to stop the car, but the driver accelerated to a high speed. Troopers lost sight of the vehicle on the winding roads before they saw it crashed into a tree near 14 Lynn Portal Road, just north of Eberle Road in Cross Creek Township.

Mt. Pleasant Township firefighters assisted at the scene.