Harry Davis wasn’t surprised to hear others speak about his wife’s kindness after she was killed Friday morning.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Davis said. “From being around her, I know how she is with other people and (how she) wanted to help people.”
Rene Davis, 60, of Hempfield was killed Friday morning when the school van she was driving was struck by a tractor-trailer that ran through a red light on Route 22 in Salem, according to state police. There were no passengers in the van, owned by DMJ Transportation, when the collision occurred.
Davis said Rene’s supervisor from DMJ Transportation called to express his condolences and told him what a kind and dedicated worker she was.
Davis said he slept on her side of the bed that night. After he couldn’t sleep, he scrolled through photos of them on her phone.
Davis, 60, and Rene knew each other since their high school years at Lebanon High School. They became reacquainted on a blind date when he was 25, Davis said. A mutual friend who worked at the dentist office where Rene was a patient set them up.
Davis said Rene’s humor and outgoing personality instantly drew him in.
“She was a lot of fun to be around,” he said. “She was a very caring person.”
They celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary in October.
The couple moved to the area from Lebanon about a year and a half ago to spend more time with their two sons and three granddaughters.
“We were pretty excited for the move,” Davis said.
Davis said Rene came from a big family with five siblings, and took quality time with her family seriously. Aside from that time, Rene loved sports. Davis said every Sunday during football season, he knew he could find her in front of the television watching the games.
“She loved watching her football,” Davis said.
He said she’d root for any team that wasn’t the Kansas City Chiefs.
Davis said Rene’s love for football stemmed from her days as a student-athlete. His wife once led her high school basketball team to the state championships. Davis said Rene always tried to be outside with their kids to play sports.
“She’d try to show them some basketball moves,” Davis said.
Rene was in her element when she was outdoors, Davis said. The couple would take an annual trip to her family’s camp near Blackwell, Tioga County where the two would hunt rattlesnakes.
Davis said he would have to postpone the plans he made with his wife. They had scheduled time to shop for a new car together Saturday afternoon.
“We had so many plans,” Davis said. “I mean, we have a concert to go to in two weeks. She loved going to concerts. She loved her music.”
Rene had bought tickets for the couple to attend a concert in April as well.
“I hope something comes out of this accident with that intersection to make some sort of improvement, so this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” Davis said. “From what I understand, it’s a bad intersection.”
The speed limit in the area is 45 mph, state Trooper Steve Limani told TribLive.
PennDOT traffic volume maps indicate 20,000 vehicles travel that section of Route 22 daily. There have been 16 crashes at the intersection since 2015, two of which were fatal, according to PennDOT data.
The bright sun at the time of the crash just after 7 a.m. may have played a role, Limani said. Route 22 reopened around 11:30 a.m. Friday.
An SUV driven by a 17-year-old Greensburg Salem student was also struck by the tractor-trailer, according to Limani and school district officials. The SUV driver was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Rene and the SUV driver were on opposite sides of Route 819 waiting at stop lights at the intersection of Route 22. When their traffic lights turned green, both drove into the intersection, where the tractor-trailer hit them, Limani said.
Davis said he would just have to weather the coming days without his wife.
“She was looking forward to the grandkids,” Davis said. “I just can’t believe she’s gone.”