LIGONIER, Pa. — State police continue investigating an unusual wrong-way crash that killed a Ligonier Township police officer as friends and family prepare to say goodbye.
Funeral visitation for Lt. Eric Eslary will be Thursday and Friday, with a Saturday funeral at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ligonier.
Hundreds of men and women in uniform marched solemnly down East Main Street in Ligonier Thursday evening, paying tribute to their fallen brother.
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"We may all not know each other, but when something like this happens, we all feel the pain,” said Unity Township Police Chief Scot Graham.
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Eslary's patrol SUV collided with the van about 2 a.m. Tuesday on U.S. Route 30 in Ligonier Township, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.
State police sources tell Channel 11 News that the men involved in the crash drank beer and went to a strip club before the crash.
The sources tell Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle and Channel 11’s Joe Holden that Clair Fink and Derek Gifford had been drinking and went to the Beehive -- a strip club in New Alexandria.
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Sources believe the beers were 24 ounces each and the two men almost finished an 18-pack.
Gifford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the two men had been drinking beer before the crash.
"We had picked up an 18-pack and had drank most of it at the warehouse. I think there was two or four left," Gifford told the paper.
The manager of Beehive tells Channel 11 News that they have turned over surveillance video to state police.
The manager confirms the men were there, but said they did not drink while at Beehive. She said the establishment doesn’t sell alcohol.
After Beehive, investigative sources say the men stopped at Sheetz in New Alexandria. From there, they took Route 217 to Route 30 outside of Ligonier.
Sources say they then made the mistake of taking 30, instead of crossing the bridge near 217 onto 30.
There are three signs on the road they took that say “Wrong Way.” The vehicle drove for 2 ½ to 3 miles before striking Lt. Eslary’s.
Sources say Fink is not doing well. Police have not been able to interview him yet.
The hospital confirms that Gifford has been released from the hospital.
The crash occurred after Eslary crested a small hill, Ligonier police Trooper Stephen Limani said, meaning Eslary "basically had no warning."
Limani said a wooded median, not a double yellow line, separates the westbound and eastbound lanes of the U.S. Route 30 stretch where the collision occurred.
"He drove on a divided highway by every definition you can imagine as divided," Limani said of the driver. "The only people who could see him are the people coming right at him. At 1:45 in the morning, that wouldn't be very many people."
The van Fink was driving belonged to Westmoreland Pools and Spas, a business located in Irwin, about 25 miles west of the crash site. The owner told Channel 11 News that his “heart goes out to the police officer.”
He also said Fink has been with him for 15 to 17 years. He’s one of two employees who have permission to take a vehicle home.
According to the owner, Fink wasn’t working at the time of the crash.
Eslary was a 17-year veteran of the Ligonier Township Police Department and often worked the overnight shift with his K-9 partner Blek, a German shepherd. Blek was also injured in the crash and had to be coaxed away from his partner's body by Eslary's wife, who came to the scene.
The dog had refused to leave Eslary's side, township Police Chief Michael Matrunics said.
"It's a loss for the entire community," Matrunics said.
Blek was taken to a Monroeville veterinary hospital for surgery.
The officer's wife, Mary Beth Taylor-Eslary, is a 911 dispatcher for Westmoreland County. She was not on duty when her husband was killed.
Many of Eslary's fellow officers, who are also friends and neighbors, were struggling to come to terms with the loss.
That includes Detective John Sleasman from Latrobe, who was close friends with Eslary for 20 years.
"I've heard some of the guys say they still can't breathe and they can't absorb this, and I'm one of them," he said Wednesday.
"When I came out to that call last night ... I never want to see that again," said John Berger, chief of police in neighboring Ligonier Borough. "Because that's the hardest call I've ever gone on."
Lt. Eslary joined the Ligonier Township Police in 1998. He was married and had six children.
Ligonier Valley School District Superintendent Dr. Christine Oldham released the following statement Tuesday evening:
"The district had counselors available today for staff and students. Counselors will also be available tomorrow. As you can imagine, this is such a tragic situation for our entire community. Lt. Eslary was a trusted and loved presence in our buildings. He and Blek visited each building several times a month, and he is already greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, his police family, and his school family."
Arrangements for Lt. Eslary:
VISITATION: Thursday & Friday from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at J. Paul McCracken Funeral Chapel in Ligonier - 144 E Main Street
FUNERAL SERVICE: Saturday, 11:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Parish in Ligonier - 342 W Main Street
All visitations and funeral services are open to the public, according to funeral home employees.
Donations to Lt. Eslary's family are being accepted at the following places:
Washington Financial
C/O/ Eric Eslary
3616 Washington Road
McMurray, PA 15317
Western Pennsylvania Police Benevolent Foundation
337 Winners Circle
Canonsburg, PA 15317
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