PENN TWP — Two drivers were injured Wednesday morning in a three-vehicle crash on Route 8 at Church Road.

Keith Hay, 58, of Saxonburg and Nicholas Vacca, 23, of Valencia were taken to unspecified hospitals following the wreck about 6 a.m.

Penn Township police said Hay was traveling west on Church Road just north of the Middlesex Township line when he apparently did not stop at a stop sign.

Vacca, who was northbound on Route 8 in the right lane, swerved his Volkswagen Jetta but was unable to avoid the pickup truck. The car struck the bed of the truck, spinning the pickup around, said Sgt. Cheryl Cranmer.

One of the tires came off the truck, Cranmer said, and struck the front bumper of a Dodge Ram 4500 pickup that was traveling south of Route 8. The driver, Chris Protzman, 50, of Butler, was able to pull off the road and he was not injured.

Two troopers came upon the crash, Cranmer said, and one of the officers used a crow bar to open a door and get Hay out of his truck.

Vacca managed to get out on his own. Police said he suffered a head and hand injury. The extent of Hay's injuries were unknown. Both were tended to by Quality Ambulance crews before being taken for further treatment.

The Ford and Jetta were both severely damaged. The Dodge sustained only minor damage.

The crash closed both southbound lanes for about an hour. One of the northbound lanes was used to accommodate traffic traveling south.

Penn Township and Middlesex Township volunteer firefighters assisted with traffic control.

Cranmer said her investigation continues.