According to officials with the Pennsylvania State Police Department, Denise Betts of Edinbrug was turning onto U.S Route 224 from Christine Drive in Mahoning Township shortly before midnight Friday, when the accident occurred. A 14 year-old girl was a passenger in Betts’ car at the time. As the Betts attempted to navigate the turn, her vehicle was struck by another car driven by Joyce Donohoe of Volant.

Betts and the 14 year-old girl were transported to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where the girl was pronounced dead. Police have not released her name.

Donahoe, and a 6 year-old boy riding with her, was transported to Jameson Hospital for treatment.

If you have been injured in a Pennsylvania car accident, please contact a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. for a professional and realistic evaluation of your case. Call 215-329-3511 today.

The accident occurred shortly before 1:00 a.m. on Friday when Frank Branan was traveling west on Route 156 in South Bend Township. Brenan was attempting to navigate a trun onto Craig Run Road, when he was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer truck driven by Robert Gilette.

Gilette was not injured in the crash. Branan, however, and three pasengers sustained minor injuries. 15 year-old Justin Boyer was transported via helicopter to UMPC Presbyterian in critical condition. He was pronounced dead fifteen hours later.

According to the state trooper on the scene, Chris Lassen, the truck driver did not see that the vehicle in front of him had slowed to take the turn. Lassen said “Irregardless [sic] of what Mr. Gilette stated to the state trooper, there is no excuse for driving without paying full attention to the road… Tractor trailers are essentially lethal weapons on the road, and truck drivers should have a heightened duty to leave a safe driving distance between their trucks and vehicles in front of them.”

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Pennsylvania car crash, please contact a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-329-3511.

It is estimated that over two million people in the U.S. are injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents annually and over 40 thousand die in fatal motor vehicle accidents every year. Large trucks and busses are especially dangerous given their enormous size and weight. While large trucks and busses make up fewer accidents because of their considerable lesser numbers on the road, they are more likely to cause serious injury or death to anyone unlucky enough to be caught in an accident with one of these mammoth vehicles.

According to the 2007 Preliminary National Crash Facts published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in the U.S. there were 136,438 large trucks and 12,498 buses that were involved in non-fatal motor vehicle accidents. Out of those, 54,961 accidents that involved large trucks and 6,709 accidents that involved buses resulted in injuries to the occupants of the vehicles or pedestrians. The total number of people injured amounted to 80,752 from the accidents that involved large trucks and 15,297 people injured from accidents that involved busses.

The FMCSA also collected data on individual state statistics for accidents involving large truck and busses. The Pennsylvania 2007 Preliminary Crash Facts State Summary Report found that in the Keystone State there were 6,624 large trucks and 1,049 buses involved in non-fatal motor vehicle accidents. Out of those, there were 3,296 large trucks and 750 buses that were involved in injury accidents. Those accidents accounted for a total of 4,799 injuries to individuals in accidents that involved large trucks and 1,753 injuries to individuals in accidents that involved buses.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a motor vehicle accident with a large truck or bus the odds of being seriously injured or of a disabling injury are greatly increased. An injury of this magnitude can siphon away all the financial resources of a family leaving despair and doubt in its wake. Contact a personal injury lawyer that can save your family’s financial future. The personal injury attorneys at Lowenthal & Abrams can help you and your family through this difficult time.