A Tamaqua woman has been charged following a fatal motorcycle crash in Frackville last week. An Ashland woman died as a result of the crash.
According to court documents, police in Frackville were dispatched to the 500 block of W. Oak St. on Friday afternoon, May 2. When they arrived, they found a three-wheeled motorcycle on its left side facing east.
A male was standing near the motorcycle with blood on his hands and face while a woman lay in the roadway receiving CPR treatment from EMS personnel on the scene. The man said he was the driver of the motorcycle and that his wife, the passenger, was the person receiving the emergency medical treatment.
The operator of the motorcycle – identified as Larry Burlile Sr., of Ashland – said a vehicle had cut in front of him, struck their bike, and caused it to flip on the side. Police say witnesses told them that the offending vehicle pulled into the parking lot of Boyer’s Food Mart but left the scene.
Burlile and his wife, Beth, 62, were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-East in Pottsville for treatment. Beth was then taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. According to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio, she was pronounced dead at 8:31 p.m. on Friday.
Buglio says an autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday to determine her cause of death.
At the hospital in Pottsville, police say they interviewed Burlile and learned he was traveling behind a vehicle that had its four-way hazard lights on at the time. When he came upon the intersection of Lehigh Ave. and Oak St., he turned left onto W. Oak St.
That vehicle he was following suddenly slowed down in the 500 block of W. Oak St., eventually coming to a complete stop. Burlile said he tried to go around the left side of the stopped vehicle when it pulled out and struck the rear right side of his motorcycle.
Police say they obtained surveillance video from the Unity Mart and determined that the offending vehicle was a 2008 red Chevrolet Aveo. They then learned that the vehicle was registered to Evelyn Clausius, 74, of Tamaqua.
An unknown caller then reportedly phoned police and said that the vehicle involved in this crash was parked behind the Budget Inn, West Mahanoy Township, right outside Frackville. Police located the vehicle and Clausius, who reportedly admitted to her involvement in the crash.
Clausius was arraigned before District Magistrate Judge AJ Serina just after midnight on Sunday and charged with a second-degree felony count of accidents involving injury or death.
Serina set bail at 10% of $45,000, which wasn’t posted and Clausius was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 14 before Judge Edward Tarantelli.
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