A violent, two-vehicle crash Saturday in Rush Township injured 11 people and brought seven medical helicopters to the scene.

According to Sgt. Duane Frederick, Rush Township Police, Jarih Martinez Fermin, 23, Summit Hill, was operating a 2014 Subaru Forester southbound on Claremont Avenue, Route 309, in an area known as the Mile Hill, six miles north of Tamaqua.Police said Fermin's vehicle crossed over the concrete median and entered the northbound lane where it collided with a 1999 Ford F350 passenger van operated by John Kurtz, 61, of East Fallowfield, Chester County. Police said the Kurtz van was traveling in the right lane of the four-lane highway when the Fermin vehicle made contact.Both vehicles came to rest in the northbound lanes.The van was carrying ten people. Six of the passengers were airlifted to trauma centers. Four others in the van were transported to area hospitals by ambulance.Frederick said the passengers ranged in age from 7 to 33.Fermin also was airlifted to a trauma center, said police.Police said DUI might have played a role in the collision, which is under investigation.The 12:34 p.m. crash tied up traffic in both directions while victims were extricated and rushed to medical facilities.Responding in addition to police were: Hometown Fire Company, Tamaqua Rescue Squad, Quakake Fire Company, McAdoo Fire Company EMS, Tamaqua Community Ambulance, Ryan Township Emergency Rescue and Hometown Fire Police.The various affiliations of the seven medical helicopters were not identified.In addition to rescue operations required at the scene, emergency responders from throughout the region were pressed into service to set up landing zones throughout an area from Tamaqua to Hazleton.The vehicles were removed from the scene by Hope's Collision and Towing, Tamaqua.The crash happened near the border of Rush and Kline townships just below the curve on the Mile Hill. More photos:

http://www.tnonline.com/gallery/11-injured-rush-township-crash