Log In


Reset Password

Woman, 4 children killed

Orange roses and a balloon alongside Route 115 in Effort serve as a reminder to the horrible weekend crash that left one woman and four children dead.

Four teddy bears are sealed in plastic bags next to a utility pole. A crucifix is nailed to the pole. Below is a candle with the likeness of Jesus.Destini Watson, 23, and four children, all from Blakeslee, were pronounced dead at the scene of a four-vehicle crash at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in Chestnuthill Township.Two of the children were male and two female, according to state police at Fern Ridge.Ages and names of the children were not released.According to police, the four juveniles "were not seat belted or in a booster seat."Everyone else involved was wearing a seat belt.Watson was driving with the four children in an SUV headed south on Route 115, near North Rocky Mountain Drive, at a "high rate of speed," according to police.Police said the SUV was trying to pass a car in a no-passing zone on the three-lane highway, when Watson lost control and the vehicle swerved into the northbound lane, striking a vehicle driven by Harold Roberts, 77, of Albrightsville."The SUV flipped on its side as it hit a third vehicle, driven by Wade Hunter, 53, of Blakeslee," according to investigators.A fourth vehicle, driven by Patrick Mikolaitis, 41, of Dallas, struck the rear of Hunter's car.A fifth passenger in the SUV, Monisha Roberts, 21, was ejected from the vehicle.She was flown to St. Luke's University Hospital-Bethlehem Campus, along with Harold Roberts.Hunter was transported by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center, East Stroudsburg.Mikolaitis walked away with minor injuries.The impact was so loud that it shook Christine Graver's house, located a block away on Rocky Mountain North. "I didn't know what it was," Graver said.She ran to the scene and saw the crash. She went to see if anyone needed help, but said emergency crews arrived quickly on the scene.Pennsylvania state law requires children under the age of 4 to ride in a federally approved car seat that is appropriate for the child's age, height and weight. Children between the ages of 4 and 8 must use a booster seat if they are no longer in a car seat."Child car seats and booster seats save lives, but only when they are installed and used properly," State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said recently.The state's seat belt law mandates that children ages 8 to 17 must use a seat belt, and violating this law is a primary offense. It is a secondary offense for drivers and front seat passengers age 18 and older to travel unbuckled.Because of the potential dangers associated with air bag deployment, children ages 12 and under should always ride in a vehicle's back seat.Marta Gouger contributed to this report.

LINDA KOEHLER/TIMES NEWS A roadside memorial at Route 115 and Rocky Mountain North pays tribute to the victims of the crash.