Two collide head-on in Carbondale
Feb. 7—Two people went to the hospital after their vehicles collided head on Monday night near a bridge in Fell Twp., emergency officials and witnesses said.
The names of the two transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center were not available. Attempts to reach police officials for details were unsuccessful.
While driving home, Justin Kirby of Browndale approached the Lackawanna River crossing on Main Street known in town as the Simpson bridge about 8:30 p.m. Suddenly, a Chevrolet pick-up truck sped by him driving in the wrong lane.
In an interview, Kirby said he remarked to his fiancée that the driver seemed likely to cause an accident.
As soon as he said that, he saw the pick-up truck crash head on with a Nissan sedan. The impact sent car parts flying everywhere, Kirby said.
The driver of the pick-up truck managed to extricate himself from his vehicle, but Kirby noted the sedan's driver was unresponsive. Kirby's fiancée dialed 911.
"Seconds felt like hours," Kirby said.
Police officers and firefighters responded. First responders used a tool called the Jaws of Life to pry open the sedan and rescue the unresponsive driver, Fell Twp. Fire Chief Peter Saltisiak said.
Both drivers were transported to GCMC. Saltisiak said the road was shut down until early Tuesday morning while investigators reconstructed the crash.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.
