Five people were seriously injured in a head-on crash on U.S. Route 219 about two miles from Browntown Road on Thursday morning.
Bradford Township Police said at 10:50 a.m., a sport-utility vehicle driven by Carol Mix, 66, of Kane, was traveling south when for unknown reasons, the SUV crossed the center line and struck another SUV head-on.
The second SUV, driven by Ralph Tressler, 66, of Jefferson, Ohio, had three passengers — Roland Ferguson, 67, Louise Ferguson, 60, and Diane Tressler, 57, all of Jefferson.
Police said Mix, Ralph Tressler and Roland Ferguson were all wearing seatbelts. Louise Ferguson and Diane Tressler, who were in the back seat of Tressler’s car, were not wearing seatbelts.
All five people had to be extricated from the SUVs by members of the Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department and Bradford City ambulance with the “Jaws of Life.” Because of the weather conditions, medical helicopters were unable to respond to assist crash victims. Several ambulances were called from outside the area to treat and transport patients.
Mix was taken by EmergiCare Ambulance to Kane Community Hospital, where she was transferred to UPMC Hamot in Erie for treatment.
Ralph Tressler was taken to Bradford Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
Diane Tressler and Roland Ferguson were taken to BRMC, where both were later transferred to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Louise Ferguson was taken by Limestone, N.Y., ambulance to Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital, where she was also transferred to ECMC.
Bradford Township police chief Robb Shipman said Mix’s SUV was not in the proper lane of travel, and said charges are pending further investigation.
While it was snowing at the time of the crash, Shipman said, “The roads were wet, but the road conditions did not have any factor in the crash. Witnesses had seen (Mix’s SUV) speed up and slow down a few times prior to the accident.”
The chief said some fluids spilled from the vehicles during the crash, but were cleaned up by emergency responders and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Route 219 was closed for about two hours because of the crash. Both SUVs had severe damage and were towed from the scene.
Responding to the crash were ambulances from Bradford City, Limestone and EmergiCare; Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Kane-based state police, Bradford township fire and EMS; and the Lewis Run Volunteer Fire Department.
