A 17-year-old died Thursday evening in a vehicle crash just outside Pottsville.
According to State Police in Schuylkill Haven, the victim of the crash was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old girl. The crash happened at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday on Ann St. in Norwegian Twp.
Police say the driver of the vehicle lost control on a rain-soaked Ann St while trying to negotiate a left curve in the road. The vehicle was moving at a high rate of speed, police believe.
As the driver lost control, the vehicle crashed into a guide rail on the east side of the road. The vehicle continued moving north, following the guide rail. Eventually, the vehicle flipped onto its roof and hit a PPL utility pole.
Two passengers in the back seat of the vehicle escaped. One is identified as 24-year-old Tyler Lee Jennings, of Pottsville. The other is identified as a 17-year-old. Jennings and the other back-seat passenger were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-East for treatment of their injuries.
First responders from Goodwill Hose and Yorkville Hose in Pottsville were forced to extricate the driver from the vehicle. She was taken to Reading Hospital by Schuylkill EMS. Pottsville PD also assisted at the scene.
The front-seat passenger was determined to be deceased at the scene of the crash Thursday.
Police say a crew from PPL arrived at the scene and determined that the utility pole struck in the crash could be charged and a potential danger to those responding. Additional crews were called in to address the electrically charged pole and secure it.
Three of the four people in the vehicle Thursday were wearing their seatbelt. It’s unknown if the front-seat passenger who died in the crash was wearing theirs. State Police say they’re continuing their investigation into this incident.
This marks the 3rd fatal crash in the last week involving Schuylkill County residents, all 35 years of age or younger.
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