Route 222 Accident Ends with 5 Dead

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 turned into a day of sorrow for the Lehigh Valley as a horrifying accident occurred between two vehicles resulting in 5 dead and many more in grief. The accident happened just before 4 pm on “the Route 222 bypass, about a quarter-mile south of Grim Road and three miles north of the Berks County line,” according to wfmz.com.

In what was described as the “worst experience in his law enforcement career,” Police Chief Edgardo Colon detailed that accident as a two-car collision that closed both directions of Route 222 for eight hours. As he put it: “A southbound tractor trailer carrying a load of scrap metal was traveling in the left land, when a Subaru Legacy, driving north, crossed over the grass median and hit the truck head-on.” The immediate impact of the two entities caused two people in the Subaru to be ejected along with a massive explosion, leaving both victims and bystanders submerged in smoke and debris. As wfmz.com states, “The truck and the car were engulfed in flames when emergency personnel arrived. After crews extinguished the fire, the three other victims were found inside the Subaru.” Luckily, the driver of the truck was able to circumvent his way out of the vehicle with only minor injuries to spare.
The individuals traveling together in the car that collided with the tractor trailer were said to be co-workers traveling home from work in Upper Macungie Township. They were between the ages of 19 and 59, according to wfmz.com. No further information could be provided by the police chief until all victims were identified and their families notified.