The Mid Valley 8: A Drunk Driving Tragedy That Still Resonates 45 Years Later

The deaths of eight teenagers in a drunk driving crash 45 years ago maintain their tragic hold on the psyche of many people in the Scranton area. The teenagers have become known as the Mid Valley 8, and they are forever remembered by those who knew them as bright kids with promising futures.

On the anniversary of the car accident that took their lives, our Scranton car accident lawyers take a moment to remember the victims and warn about the dangers of drunk driving.

What Happened to the Mid Valley 8?

According to court records, on March 6, 1981, the teenagers were on their way after attending a bonfire party. They piled into a 1976 Chrysler Cordoba, a luxury car one of the teens had borrowed from his sister, intending to head home. Based on the findings of an accident reconstruction expert and law enforcement officers who investigated the scene, the car traveled at a high rate of speed on a rural road in Throop and veered from side to side on Underwood Road before crashing through a guard rail, flying through the air for about 200 feet, and pancaking at the bottom of a gully. No one witnessed the crash, and the eight minors who died were the only ones in the vehicle.

The eight teenagers who died in the crash were Jodi Hafich, 14; Gail Veltri, 15; Michele Cizik, 15; Michael Cheresko, 15; Elizabeth “Lisa” Mecca, 16; Greg LaBanic, 16; Anthony Lukasik, 17; and David Thomas, 17.

They attended Mid Valley Secondary Center in Throop, just outside Scranton, which is how they came to be known as the Mid Valley 8. Soon after the crash, Mid Valley English teacher Mary Lou Gillar told The Scranton Times, “every one of them was a good kid.” 

“It’s so hard to believe. None of them were troublemakers; they were all nice kids,” she told the newspaper, which is now called The Scranton Times-Tribune.

Speed and Alcohol Factors in Devastating Car Crash

Autopsy results found Lukasik, who, according to witness testimony, was driving the Cordoba, was legally intoxicated, and that the other minors in the vehicle had also been drinking. 

The role of alcohol in the crash led to a delay in memorializing the tragic loss of eight high school students. A memorial plaque in their honor was donated to the Mid Valley class of 1983, but it was not publicly unveiled until 2018, according to a Channel 16 report that year. 

Gerard Luchansky, who was the vice principal at Mid Valley when the crash occurred, told the station the district did not install the plaque in the 1980s because of negative sentiment over the role of alcohol in the crash and a feeling that it was too soon for the victims’ families.

How Munley Law Helped the Victims’ Families

A lawsuit was brought against Anthony Lukasik’s estate. Munley Law founder Robert W. Munley represented the estates of most of the victims of the March 6, 1981, crash, and he obtained a landmark $17.5 million verdict for them. On appeal, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1987 ruled the massive judgment in favor of the plaintiffs was justified, even though it was far higher than typical awards for teenage victims at the time.

With the victory, Munley established a precedent for how Pennsylvania courts calculate minors’ future earning potential based on their career aspirations. For instance, one of the girls who died in the crash had planned to become a doctor, which was supported by the fact that her sister was already in medical school, and another was studying to become a pharmacist. One of the boys had planned to join the Air Force, bolstered by his siblings’ college history, and another boy wanted to be a mechanic, following in his father’s trade. At the trial, the victims’ parents shared their children’s career goals, and an economist testified about the adolescents’ lost earning power, relying in part on U.S. Census Bureau earnings data.

The Rising Problem of Drunk Driving in Lackawanna County

Munley Law has long shed light on the hazards of drinking and driving. Pennsylvania law, like nearly every other U.S. state, defines drivers as alcohol impaired when they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available,12,429 people died in alcohol-impaired driving collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That represents more than a 20 percent jump compared to 2019. Young people, particularly those ages 21 to 24, have historically had a higher likelihood than older age groups of dying in alcohol-related crashes.

In Pennsylvania, driving while intoxicated is still a top safety issue. In 2024, drunk driving accounted for approximately 7% of the total car accidents in the Commonwealth and 22% of all fatalities. However, there is a bright spot — 8% of the driver fatalities in the 16-20 age group were drunk drivers, which is down from 10% in 2023 and 23% in 2022.

How Our Scranton Car Accident Attorneys Can Help

Robert W. Munley passed away in 2019 after a pioneering career in personal injury law. A few months before his death, in a podcast called Making the Case, he detailed his experience with the case Mecca v. Lukasik. The firm he founded in 1959, formerly known as Robert W. Munley P.C., is run by his adult children, who continue his work on behalf of victims of automotive crashes, including those involving alcohol.

If you or someone you know has been injured due to an alcohol-related crash in Scranton, contact the personal injury lawyers at Munley Law.