Two motorists in Berks County recently endured a harrowing head-on collision that left a 20-year-old woman from Ringtown pinned under her dashboard for about an hour. The car accident happened in Union Township, and both drivers were taken to local hospitals to be treated for injuries.
As rescuers tried to figure out a way to remove the young woman from her car, paramedics treated her while she was still trapped. Eventually, she was extricated from the vehicle and transported to Danville’s Geisinger Medical Center. The extent of her injuries was not disclosed in a local news report, though the circumstances of the crash suggest that her injuries are serious.
The other driver, a 55-year-old man from Shenandoah, suffered chest injuries and cuts to his face. He said the head-on crash caused his chest to slam into the steering wheel of his SUV. He was taken to a Pottsville hospital, and his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
Given the initial statements from police, it would appear the car driven by the young woman crossed the center line of the road and collided head-on with the man’s SUV at the crest of a hill. He was unable to avoid a collision, and the impact crushed the front of the woman’s car, forcing parts of it through the dashboard area.
Further investigation by police will likely assign fault for the accident. Pennsylvania residents who have been injured in such a crash should be aware of their rights under our state’s personal injury laws. Serious injuries are devastating enough without the burden of all the expenses related to recovery.
Source: Republican Herald, “Woman trapped inside vehicle after accident,” Frank Andruscavage, May 15, 2012