EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) — The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, East Hempfield Township Police Department, and Lancaster County Crash Team have completed investigations into two fatal crashes near the intersection of Lancaster Road (Route 72) and Lititz Road.
On Feb. 9, 2022, the operator of a Ford Taurus attempted to cross the intersection and was hit by a tractor-trailer truck traveling south on Lancaster Road.
Investigators determined that the tractor-trailer was moving slower than the posted speed limit, but the Ford Taurus attempted to cross the intersection when the tractor-trailer was approximately 80 feet away, which was determined to be too close for the truck operator to be able to avoid the collision, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
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A juvenile passenger in the Taurus was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy showed that the passenger died of injuries sustained in the crash. The 19-year-old driver of the Ford Taurus was issued a stop sign violation citation, the district attorney’s office reports.
On March 29, 2022, the operator of a Mercedes-Benz attempted to cross the intersection, again about 80-90 feet in front of a tractor-trailer truck, which was traveling north on Lancaster Road.
The investigation determined that the tractor-trailer driver did not have enough distance to react and avoid the collision, although the truck was traveling below the speed limit, according to the district attorney’s office.
A passenger in the Mercedes-Benz was pronounced dead a the scene, and an autopsy found that the passenger died of injuries sustained in the crash. The 76-year-old driver of the Mercedes-Benz was issued a traffic citation for a stop sign violation, the district attorney’s office reports.
In both incidents, the district attorney’s office says, the tractor-trailer operators’ conduct did not play a role in causing the collisions, the investigations determined.
While the drivers of the passenger vehicles were cited with stop sign violations, the investigation determined that their conduct was not criminal in nature, so no criminal charges were filed against them, the district attorney’s office says.
Collision reconstruction investigations look at factors such as speed, roadway conditions, sight, time and distance, phone use, blood analysis, witness statements, vehicle inspections, and more.