Two investigations regarding fatal vehicle collisions near the intersection of Lancaster Road (Route 72) and Lititz Road in East Hempfield Township have recently concluded.

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, East Hempfield Township Police Department, and Lancaster County Crash Team have completed collision reconstruction reports for the crashes occurring on February 9, 2022, and March 29, 2022.

February 9 Incident

The investigation into the February incident determined the truck tractor-trailer traveling southbound on Lancaster Road was moving slower than the posted speed limit (55 miles per hour), the road conditions were dry and clear of any foreign debris at the time of collision, and the roadway had no signs of defects at the time of collision.

The operator of a Ford Taurus attempted to cross the intersection when the truck was approximately 80 feet away, which was determined to be too close for the truck operator to be able to react and avoid the collision.

As a result, a traffic citation for a stop sign violation has been filed against Maxwell Miller, 19 of Lititz, the operator of the Ford Taurus.

Douglas White, 65 of Georgia, has been cited with a traffic citation for equipment violations that did not contribute to the cause of the collision.

A juvenile passenger in the Taurus was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy and concluded the passenger died of the injuries sustained in the collision.

Dash camera video footage from the truck and a witness who observed the collision corroborated the findings of the collision reconstruction.

East Hempfield Township Police Department Sergeant Anthony Lombardo filed citations in the February incident.

March 29 Incident

The investigation into the March incident determined the truck tractor-trailer traveling northbound on Lancaster Road was moving slower than the posted speed limit (55 miles per hour), the road conditions were dry and clear of any foreign debris at the time of collision, and the roadway had no signs of defects at the time of collision.

The operator of a Mercedes-Benz attempted to cross the intersection when the truck was approximately 80-90 feet away, which was determined to be too close for the truck operator to react and avoid the collision.

As a result, a traffic citation for a stop sign violation has been filed against Bruce Hubbs, 76 of Lancaster, the operator of the Mercedes-Benz.  The operator of the truck committed no traffic violation and was not cited.

A passenger in the Mercedes-Benz sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy and concluded the passenger died of the injuries sustained in the collision.

Dash camera video footage from a witness’ vehicle captured the collision and corroborated the findings of the police reconstruction.

East Hempfield Township Police Department Sergeant Joshua Sandman filed the citation in the March incident.

In both incidents, neither truck operator’s conduct played a role in causing the collisions: the truck drivers were not distracted or speeding, and their blood contained no illegal substances or alcohol. While the operators of the passenger vehicles in both crashes were cited with stop sign violations, their conduct was not criminal in nature. Accordingly, no criminal charges were filed.

Many aspects go into collision reconstruction, although every incident differs. These aspects can include:

-speed analysis

-roadway analysis (weather, road condition, etc.)

-sight distance analysis

-time & distance analysis

-atmosphere conditions

-phone analysis

-blood analysis

-witness statements

-vehicle inspections

-crash-sequence analysis

-road evidence (skid marks, etc.)

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.