State police at Hazleton - crashes
State police at the Hazleton barracks released reports on incidents:
• Miguel A. Contreras, 35, of Beaver Meadows, escaped injuries in a one-vehicle crash at 8:48 p.m. Aug. 19 on the Tomhicken Road in Black Creek Township.
Police said he was driving a 2005 Lexus eastbound when he lost control of the car and it struck a guide rail on the south side of the road. The vehicle was towed from the scene.
• A 2016 Ford Edge driven by Jessica L. Lassiter, 27, of Weatherly, was damaged and needed to be towed from the scene of a hit-and-run incident at 10:18 p.m. Aug. 19 on South Lehigh Gorge in Lehigh Township. She was uninjured.
Police said a white truck that was northbound came to a stop and reversed, striking the Edge before the driver fled the scene.
• Joseph Zeigler Jr., 54, of Weatherly, was cited after a one-vehicle crash at 1:13 p.m. Aug. 27 in Main Street in Banks Township.
Police said he was driving a 2003 Honda Civic when he fell asleep at the wheel. The car traveled off the roadway, striking a utility pole.
Police said Zeigler fled the scene and the vehicle was towed from the scene at the request of the registered owner before police’s arrival.
They said Zeigler had minor injuries.
• Dominic J. Caravella, 26, of Weatherly, was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 4:19 p.m. Aug. 3 on the Quakake Road in Packer Township. Police said he was transported by personnel from the Lehighton Ambulance Association to the St. Luke’s Hospital, Carbon Campus, Franklin Township.
Police said he was driving a 2013 Hyundai Accent eastbound when he failed to maintain control of the vehicle, It left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The car was towed from the scene, police said.
• Thomas Salzer, 54, of Weatherly, was cited for following too closely after a two-vehicle mishap at 11:18 p.m. Oct. 1 on Interstate 81 in Hazle Township. No one was injured in the incident.
Police said he was driving a 2014 Ford Fusion southbound on the on-ramp of the interstate when it struck the rear of a 2018 Honda Civic driven by Joan M. Sanchez Salomon, 30, of Hazleton, after she had applied her brakes to avid striking a deer that entered the roadway.
Police said both vehicles sustained heavy damages and needed to be towed from the scene.
• Police are investigating a hit-and-run incidents. Rubber shards from the truck broke off as the vehicle was proceeding northbound on Interstate 81 in Butler Township damaged a 2018 Nissan Altima that was following it.
Police said the incident happened at 10:23 a.m. Aug. 10 near mile marker 149.5. They said the shards flew back and struck the front bumper and front window of the Altima which was being driven by Christine L. Ortiz, 45, of Effort. She was uninjured.
Police said the unknown truck failed to stop and continued northbound on the interstate.
• Police were called to a hit-and-run incident at 3:15 p.m. Aug. 20 on Route 93 in Packer Township.
They said an unknown vehicle, described as a dark-colored pickup, was northbound when it traveled across the center yellow lines and struck a 2017 Ford F150 driven southbound by Ryan S. Berls, 45, of Staten Island, New York, and then fled the scene.
Berls and a passenger were uninjured.
Police said the F150 sustained minor damages and was able to be driven from the scene.