CONYNGHAM TOWNSHIP - A 30-year-old Elizabethville man suffered injuries Wednesday morning when his truck collided with a tractor-trailer while attempting to pass it along Route 42 near the entrance to the Roaring Creek watershed on state game lands, approximately two miles north of Aristes.
Conyngham Township Officer William Spickler reported William Eckert was driving a blue 1994 Ford Ranger pickup truck north on Route 42 toward Numidia at 8 a.m. when he attempted to pass a blue 2007 Freightliner operated by Sean Whitley, 38, of Mountainhome, and two other vehicles. Police said the tractor-trailer driver was attempting to turn into the watershed when the truck struck the front driver's side of the tractor-trailer and rolled multiple times before coming to rest against a large tree and brush off the southbound berm of the highway.
Eckert was trapped in the wreckage for more than an hour. Rescue personnel had to use the Jaws of Life to free him. Police said Eckert was treated at the scene before being transported by AREA Services Ambulance to an old ballfield in Aristes, where LifeFlight helicopter landed and flew him to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, where he underwent emergency room surgery before reportedly being admitted.
Spickler said Eckert was conscious, alert and talking at the scene after the crash. Whitley escaped injury.
The pickup truck was demolished, while the tractor-trailer sustained minor damage.
Assisting Spickler with the accident were Locust Township police, firefighters from Aristes, Wilburton No. 1 and Numidia, Mount Carmel Rescue Squad and AREA Services.
An investigation is continuing.