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Turnpike crashes

State police at the Pocono barracks reported on several incidents on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike:

• Dawn M. Sparango, 53, of Quakertown, was injured in a crash at 2 p.m. Oct. 21 at mile marker 86.4 in Penn Forest Township. She was transported by personnel from the Lehighton Ambulance Association to the St. Luke’s Hospital, Carbon County, Franklin Township. Police said the severity of her injuries is not known.

Police said she was a passenger in a 2014 Jeep Cherokee driven by William J. Sparango, 58, also of Quakertown, who was southbound on Interstate 476 at the time a deer ran into the roadway in front of the Jeep.

Police said Sparango steered sharply to avoid the deer and lost control of the vehicle, which struck a 2012 Mazda driven by Michael C. Scarpulla, 20, of Marlton, New Jersey.

Police said the Jeep then left the lane of travel, spun out and flipped onto its roof. The Mazda came to rest along the concrete barrier of the turnpike, police said.

The Jeep was towed from the scene.

• Scott L. Kanapaux, 53, of Scranton, was uninjured when a 2020 Toyota Corolla he was driving struck a deer at 6:14 p.m. Oct. 23 at mile marker 91.5 in Kidder Township.

Police said he was northbound when the deer jumped over the center concrete median into the path of the Corolla.

A passenger in the car, Carl E. Solberg II, 42, also of Scranton, was also uninjured.

• Robert G. Watkins Jr., 19, of Wilkes-Barre, and Claire M. Capin, 20, of Kingston, sustained suspected minor injuries in a crash at 8:15 p.m. Oct. 21 at mile marker 87.7 in Penn Forest Township.

Police said they were transported by personnel from the Lehighton Ambulance Association to the Geisinger-Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre.

The mishap occurred when Watkins, driving a 2003 Volvo northbound, swerved to avoid striking a deer that entered its path. The car struck the center barrier and overturned, coming to rest on its roof.

• A 17-year-old girl from Palmerton escaped injuries in a one-vehicle incident at 8:16 p.m. Oct. 12 at mile marker 64.5 in North Whitehall Township.

Police said she was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu northbound when a deer jumped over the center concrete barrier and struck the driver’s side front end of the Malibu.

• Thomas J. Wensel, 27, of Pottsville, was cited for careless driving after a crash at 9:10 p.m. Oct. 10 at mile marker 94.1 in Kidder Township.

Police said he was operating a 2017 Peterbilt southbound and attempted to pull out of the closed right lane in a work zone into the left lane when it sideswiped a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta operated by Peter A. Pettas, 45, of Macungie. Police said both vehicles were towed from the scene.

They said Pettas sustained a laceration on his right hand and was transported by personnel from the White Haven Rescue Squad to the St. Luke’s Hospital, Carbon Campus, Franklin Township. Wensel was uninjured, police said.

• Eugene J. Burke, 43, of Wilkes-Barre, was cited after a crash at 1:59 p.m. Oct. 14 at mile marker 89 in Kidder Township.

He said he was injured but they did not know the severity of the injuries.

They said he was driving a 2016 BMW northbound when he failed to stay within a single lane and struck the concrete barrier on the east side of the road. The car had a damaged front bumper, which was pushed toward the engine compartment, police said.

• Curtis A. Bostick, 21, of Philadelphia, was cited for failure to drive at a safe speed after an incident at 2:14 a.m. Oct. 26 at mile marker 91.5 in Kidder Township. He was uninjured.

Police said he was driving a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu southbound at about 75 mph when he saw a deer standing in the middle of the roadway. Police said he slowed the vehicle but lost control of it, striking the deer head-on. The car came to rest in the right-hand lane, facing west, and needed to be towed from the scene.

• Sevion E. Leak, 21, of Pittston, was uninjured when a 2017 Volkswagen Passat he was driving struck a deer at 1:57 a.m. Oct. 25 on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

It happened in Kidder Township when the deer was standing in the right lane of travel while Leak was southbound.

The car had disabling damages to its hood and front bumper. Police said Leak drove onto the west berm after the impact.