Two people, including an 8-year-old girl, sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries in a two-vehicle crash along Route 61 near the new Rutter’s gas station in West Brunswick Township on Saturday afternoon.
According to information released by State Police in Schuylkill Haven, the crash happened at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the southbound lanes of the highway at its intersection with Paramount Blvd.
Police say that prior to the crash, a vehicle driven by Shirley Smith, 63, of Schuylkill Haven, was in the driving lane of the highway and then merged into the passing lane. A vehicle driven by Jarred Remp, 32, of Schuylkill Haven, was in the passing lane behind Smith’s vehicle.
In the vehicle with Remp was an 8-year-old girl.
Police then say Remp moved into the left turn-only lane, which turns into Geisinger-St. Luke’s Hospital, and began to pass Smith’s vehicle.
As Remp tried to merge his vehicle back into the passing lane, it made contact with the front driver side of Smith’s vehicle. Remp’s car began to slide, crossed the driving lane, and struck a traffic control light pole at the highway’s intersection with Paramount Blvd., police say.
Remp was removed from his vehicle by mechanical means while a “good Samaritan” is credited with removing the 8-year-old girl from the crashed vehicle.
Remp was taken to Reading Hospital and his passenger to Hershey Medical Center for treatment of their injuries sustained in the crash. Smith escaped injury, police say.
Emergency services from Pottsville/Schuylkill Haven EMS, Deer Lake-West Brunswick Fire Dept., Orwigsburg Fire Dept. and Fire Police assisted State Police at the scene.
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