Photo by Alan Olson First responders tend to the still-smoldering wreckage of a sedan after removing the driver and passenger with critical injuries.

WEST WHEELING — Two people are in critical condition after their car stuck a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Interstate 470 and Ohio 7.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol attributed the accident to the driver of the sedan losing control of his car at the stoplight, going through the intersection, across a grassy median and into one of two trucks stopped at the red light. The driver, a man in his 60s, was removed from the vehicle along with the passenger, a woman believed to be his daughter. One was flown to UPMC Presbyterian hospital and the other to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittburgh. Both patients were believed to be local residents, and both sustained critical injuries, according to Sgt. Brian McFarland.

“We’re not sure what happened with the vehicle — we don’t know if it was medical, or something wrong with the vehicle — but it failed to make the right turn, passed over the median,” McFarland said. “At this time, we just know they’re in critical condition.”

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Brent Annon, was unharmed but described the impact as feeling as though he’d been rear-ended. The trucker behind him, Eddy Guteree, said the event happened “really fast,” and that he rushed out of his truck with a fire extinguisher to battle the flames that sprung up immediately after the accident.

Traffic was stopped on Ohio 7 from around 5:30 p.m. until the scene was cleared around 7:20 p.m. Among the first responders who handled the accident scene were Neffs Fire Department, Bellaire Police Department, Bridgeport Police Department, the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department, STAT MedEvac and OSHP.