Monday marked the eight-month anniversary of the death of Carola Sauers, 69, of Hazleton. She was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, Michael Sauers, 64, who at that time was an elementary teacher at Pleasant Valley.

Sauers died when their car was struck by a police cruiser on Route 209 between Jim Thorpe and Nesquehoning.Initially the state police investigated the crash, then turned the investigation over to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.Right after the crash happened, trooper David Peters of the Hazleton barracks said, "There is no time frame. In these particular cases, everything will be looked at and relooked at to make sure everything is (accurately documented)."The Attorney General's office was contacted last week to see if anything new on the case could be reported.The reply from J.J. Abbott of the press office stated bluntly:"At this time, all we can say is that this is still under review and ongoing. If and when that changes, I will be sure to let you know."That answer is not good enough. Even if nothing changes, the public deserves to know the outcome of the investigation.Understandably investigations take time. But eight months for a crash, with a vague response for inquiries, is not an answer that's fair to the Sauerses or the public.Indications are that the police officer involved in the crash might have been speeding. It appears the crash occured in the Sauerses' lane of traffic.We're not on a witch hunt for the officer involved. What we are saying is eight months is a long time to hear absolutely nothing about the case.We're sure the officer involved is wondering about his fate. Can he work while the investigation is continuing?But the main concern is for the family of the victim. Are there no priorities for investigations? If this had been a civilian driving the car that resulted in Mrs. Sauers' death, would the investigation had taken so long?The public deserves a better response than we are getting in this matter.By RON GOWERrgower@tnonline.com