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2 die from motorcycle crashes

Two men have died as a result of motorcycle crashes and a third one was flown from a crash in Summit Hill Saturday.

Paul Herman, 57, of Jim Thorpe, died Sunday morning at St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem, as a result of injuries in an April 4 crash.The crash occurred at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Route 248 and State Road in Franklin Township.Herman was the driver of a motorcycle that collided with a Nissan SUV.Reports from the scene indicated the crash occurred when Herman, riding a newer model Kawasaki cruiser motorcycle, attempted to make a left turn from Route 248 eastbound onto State Road.At the same time, the driver of a Nissan SUV was traveling through the intersection on Route 248 westbound, and the two vehicles collided, fire officials said.Herman was flown by PennSTAR helicopter.Officials from Franklin Township Fire Department, Franklin Township Police Department, Lehighton Ambulance and Palmerton Ambulance responded to the scene.The Lehigh County coroner's office and the Franklin Township police department are conducting the investigation.Lehigh TownshipA man died Friday night in a two-vehicle crash that involved a motorcycle at the intersection of Cherryville Road and Locust Drive in Lehigh Township.The man, whose name has not been released, was the driver of the Harley Davidson motorcycle.Police said the crash occurred at 10:37 p.m. when the motorcycle, which was traveling west on Cherryville Road, collided with a Chevrolet Equinox driven by Michael Mathesz, 62, of Northampton. The Equinox was southbound on Locust Drive when it entered the intersection.Police said the motorcyclist and a passenger, Pamela Kellow, 48, of Northampton, were not wearing helmets. She was flown by the PennSTAR helicopter to St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem.Mathesz was not injured.Township police were assisted at the scene by the Lehigh Township Fire Company, Northampton Regional EMS and the Northampton County Coroner's Office. The crash remains under investigation.Summit Hill crashA Summit Hill man was flown after his motorcycle veered into the path of another vehicle on Saturday in the borough.Summit Hill police Chief Joseph Fittos said that Leroy Hagerty Jr., 66, of East Holland Street, was driving a 1996 Harley Davidson motorcycle with a sidecar east on Route 902 at 12:43 p.m. when he crossed the center line into the path of a Ford sedan, driven by Tami Kunkel, 49, of Millhead Road, Tamaqua.The sidecar struck the Ford, and Hagerty was found lying on the ground by emergency responders when they arrived on-scene.Kunkel was not hurt in the crash, but was visibly shaken up, Fittos said.Hagerty was flown via PennSTAR to St. Luke's University Hospital, Bethlehem.Both vehicles sustained heavy damaged and were towed from the scene.Charges are pending against Hagerty.