Three fatal crashes left five people dead over the holiday weekend in Lancaster County, while members of the Manheim Township Police Department staged a dramatic water rescue captured on body camera.
The series of fatalities began Thursday afternoon (Dec. 22) when two people were killed in a head-on crash in Caernarvon Township.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police in Lancaster, the crash happened around 3:15 p.m. in the 6800 block of Division Highway (Route 322).
Investigators said a 2002 Jeep Renegade driven by Michael Harrington, 49, of Wilmington, Del., was traveling eastbound when it veered into the westbound lane and oncoming traffic.
A 2002 Dodge Caravan, driven by David Hurst, 63, of East Earl, was headed westbound when he was struck head-on by Harrington. Hurst’s vehicle came to a stop in a southernly direction on the road, while Harrington’s vehicle came to a stop in a northernly direction.
Police said Hurst died at the scene of the crash, while Harrington was transported to Reading Hospital by New Holland EMS. Harrington died at the hospital from injuries sustained in the crash.
The second fatal crash occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Brecknock Township when police said a tractor-trailer headed the wrong way on the highway slammed into a pickup truck.
According to State Police in Bowmansville, a suspected DUI driver was in the tractor trailer when the collision occurred in the westbound lanes at mile marker 291.2.
Police said the tractor trailer was headed the wrong way when it hit a Ford F250 pickup truck head-on, killing two women and injuring a third man who were all in the vehicle.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as sisters Mariana Llivipuma (age unknown) and 39-year-old Nubia Llivipuma, both from Ecuador. The cause of death was determined to be from multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the crash.
Police said after the initial crash, a third car also crashed into the other two vehicles, causing minor damage.
Investigators said the tractor trailer driver attempted to run away from the scene of the crash, getting into another driver’s vehicle and then experiencing a medical emergency. The driver was taken into custody and transported to Reading Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Charges had not been filed in the crash as of Monday night (Dec. 26).
The final fatal crash took place Friday afternoon (Dec. 23) in Salisbury Township that left a teen dead in a single-vehicle crash.
According to officials, the car crashed into a utility pole around 1:30 p.m. on Cains Road near the intersection of Lime Quarry Road.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office was dispatched around 2:45 p.m. where the deputy coroner determined that an 18-year-old driver, later to be identified as Mason Gentry of Lititz, died at the scene of the crash.
Gentry was transported to the Lancaster County Forensic Center where the cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries suffered in the crash.
Investigators did not provide details on what led to the crash.
Police Rescue
The quick action of Manheim Township Police averted what could have been another traffic fatality on Thursday (Dec. 22) when they rescued a 59-year-old Lancaster woman from her car after it sank in a pond.
Officers were dispatched at 8 p.m. to the intersection of Oregon Pike (Route 272) and Valleybrook Road for a report of a vehicle driven into a pond.
Emergency crews discovered the car partially submerged in the pond at the entrance of Valleybrook Estates Condominium with a female trapped inside and submerged in the water up to her neck.
Police said officers Kyle Carner and Anthony DiClemente jumped into the water and broke the driver’s window to gain access to the driver as the car became completely submerged. The officers were able to open the door, remove the driver and walk her safely to the bank of the pond where she was treated by EMS.
The officers were able to rescue her in less than a minute. The entire incident was captured on police body cam footage, which was released by the department.
Officers on the video can be heard asking the driver if there was anyone else in the vehicle as they acted fast to rescue her.
An investigation determined the driver misjudged the turn on Oregon Pike and drove into the pond.
“The officers jumped into the water without hesitation,” said Manheim Township Police Chief Thomas Rudzinski. “The quick response and fast action of these officers undoubtedly saved the life of the driver.”
Staff writer Michael Yoder is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several Keystone Press Awards for his investigative pieces.
