A Lehighton man checking on people in a crash was struck by a vehicle Monday night on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County.

State police at the Frackville barracks said Carson W. Gaston, 48, and Jonothan T. Parker, 28, of East Stroudsburg, were transported from the scene by personnel from the Frackville Community Ambulance Association and the Ryan Township Emergency and Rescue Squad.

Police said Gaston was originally involved in a crash around 6:05 p.m. in the area of Exit 131A in Mahanoy Township.

They said he was driving a 1994 Freightliner southbound when it was struck by a 2000 Ford F150 driven by Jared A. Longenecker, 32, of Palmyra, who police said failed to slow down for the slower-moving rig.

Police said Gaston was able to pull the Freightliner onto the west shoulder of the interstate while the F150 came to rest in the middle of both southbound lanes. It sustained disabling damages that required it to be towed from the scene.

Police said Gaston was uninjured in the crash but was then struck by a 2007 Kia Spectra operated by Parker, which failed to slow down when a 2023 Ford F150 operated by Thomas T. Buist, 62, of Gananoque, Ontario, Canada, slowed down to avoid debris in the road from the previous crash.

They said the Spectra initially struck Gaston and then traveled south and struck the truck being driven by Buist. Both vehicles sustained disabling damages and had to be towed from the scene.

Police said when they arrived at the scene, they found Gaston laying in the grass median.

Police said Longenecker was cited for following too closely in the first crash. He and a passenger, Wyatt L. Dale, 25, of Mechanicsburg, were uninjured.

Parker was cited for failure to drive at a safe speed.