Wrong-Way Interstate Crash Claims Two Lives

Two drivers were killed in a Dauphin County head-on wreck caused by a driver going the wrong way on I-283.

The deadly accident happened in the early morning hours of February 4 in Lower Swatara Township near the Turnpike interchange.

Motor vehicle crashes involving wrong-way drivers cause nearly 400 fatalities each year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. About 22 percent of wrong-way automobile crashes are fatal – compared with less than one percent of all other crashes.

This is from WGAL News 8:

Investigators said the driver of a silver Hyundai Accent was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes. The Hyundai hit a Volkswagen Jetta head-on.

Neither car had any passengers and the drivers died on impact, state police said. The driver the Volkswagen was a 59-year-old man from the Jonestown area. […]

10 Tips for PA Winter Driving Safety

A recent article in the New York Times Magazine has found that dangerous driving is once again a serious issue in America. According to the article, in September 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation released data that showed that 21 states had recorded climbing rates of fatal crashes in 2023 compared with the same period in 2022.

Not only is it dangerous for other drivers to be on the roads, but pedestrians as well — a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that SUVs or vans with a hood height that’s greater than 40 inches are 45 percent more likely to kill pedestrians than smaller cars.

Unfortunately, the winter weather does pose a significant threat to many Pennsylvanians each year. Snowy weather causes treacherous conditions on our roadways. Each winter, we hear stories of people injured and killed in auto accidents across Pennsylvania caused by drivers who don’t use proper care in hazardous conditions. […]

Nurse Killed Crossing Philadelphia Street

A woman dashing across a Philadelphia street January 11 was struck by a car – and then run over by at least one other vehicle.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In 2011, pedestrian-related crashes represented 3.6 percent of all reported traffic crashes in Pennsylvania. That year, 149 pedestrians were killed.

Following is an account of the fatal pedestrian accident from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

A woman attempting to run across Penrose Avenue in South Philadelphia was hit by a car, then run over by at least one more vehicle, in light rain about 5:30 PM Friday, police said.

Maria Mercer, 42, of Olney, was a nurse at Catch Inc., a community mental health center. Police said she was scheduled to work through midnight and took a break to go to a cash machine at a nearby gas station. […]

EMS Driver Caught Driving Drunk

State police in Swiftwater arrested a woman for driving an EMS vehicle drunk on December 29.

The emergency service driver was stopped for speeding and following another vehicle too closely. Arresting officers determined she was too impaired to drive.

Each year automobile accidents in Pennsylvania claim the lives of more than 1,000 people and injure another 85,000 more. More than 70 percent of the state’s auto accidents in 2010 resulted in an injury or fatality.

Far too many of these wrecks were caused by a driver’s negligence or recklessness.

Following is from the Scranton Times-Tribune:

A Monroe County woman was arrested Saturday for driving an emergency medical services vehicle while under the influence.

State police at Swiftwater stopped Stacy M. Ems, 23, Paradise Twp., around 1 AM for speeding and following another vehicle too closely on Buttermilk Falls Road, […]

Disaster Averted With Wrong-Way Driver on I-81

Law enforcement had to form a moving road block to stop a confused Carbon County motorist who drove 18 miles the wrong way down Interstate 81.

Amazingly, nobody was hurt in the incident.

There are more than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania each year, according to the state Department of Transportation. These wrecks will claim the lives of 1,000 people and injure and disable many thousands more.

Here is one newspaper account of the wrong-way driver on I-81:

State police formed a rolling road block to stop a Carbon County woman who drove the wrong way on Interstate 81 for 18 miles starting near Dickson City.

State police at Dunmore received calls around 5:30 a.m. about a vehicle, driven by Paige Cicardo, 22, of Albrightsville, traveling south on I-81 north near the Main Avenue exit. […]