The state police accident reconstruction team continues to work on determining exactly what happened when a police cruiser crashed into an oncoming car on Route 209 Monday evening.

Part-time Nesquehoning patrolman Steven Homanko was driving the car that crossed the line and struck a car, killing the front-seat passenger and severely injuring the driver.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 crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. as Homanko, 25, was driving on the highway with the lights and siren activated between Nesquehoning and Jim Thorpe.A short time later, two people in a yellow Dodge Neon who had come from Nesquehoning were stopped by police on Fourth Street in Jim Thorpe."We have no evidence he was involved in a pursuit," Peters said. "Everything he did leading up to that collision will be put into the (report) to determine why this crash happened."The report, he said, will then be given to Carbon County District Attorney Gary Dobias.According to state police at Lehighton, who are investigating the crash, Homanko lost control of the 2009 Crown Victoria he was driving on a curve.He swerved into the oncoming lane, hitting the front of the Toyota Yaris driven by Michael Sauers, 64. Sauers' wife, Carola, 69, was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital, Fountain Hill. Sauers, a Pleasant Valley second-grade teacher, remains hospitalized.Homanko was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, where he was treated and released.Efforts to reach Nesquehoning Borough Council President David Hawk and Councilman Donato DeMarco to find out Homanko's current status with the police department were unsuccessful early Thursday. Police closed Route 209 for about nine hours after the crash.Between 7 and 7:15 p.m., police from several departments converged in Jim Thorpe, taking Michael Cardone and his girlfriend, who remains unidentified, into custody.Cardone, who contacted the Times News on Wednesday, said his girlfriend was driving and had "gone around" a car that was stopped to pull into the Dollar General store near the intersection of routes 209 and 93 in Nesquehoning. Cardone said he was not aware of any police cruisers chasing his car, and that neither he nor his girlfriend were charged with any crimes.A reporter at the scene in Jim Thorpe saw police giving the woman field sobriety tests before allowing her to get back into the car. Cardone said police impounded the car, which contained their wallets, leaving them stranded.