Published May 09. 2019 12:51PM
A Lansford man was airlifted to a Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest after a crash Thursday.
The wreck occurred at the same Schuylkill County intersection which recently claimed the life of a local township supervisor.
The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Summer Valley Road (Route 895) and Route 61 in West Brunswick Township.
According to state police at Schuylkill Haven, 33-year-old James Coolbaugh of Lansford was driving west on 895 at the time of the crash. Coolbaugh’s Ford van entered the intersection and was struck on the drivers’ side by another van traveling north on 61.
Both vehicles ended up stopped on the side of the northbound lanes of 61.
According to state police, at the time of the crash the traffic light at the intersection was red for traffic on 895 and green for traffic on 61.
Coolbaugh was airlifted from a nearby landing site to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Hospital.
On April 15, Franklin Ruch of Mahoning Township was killed in a crash at the same intersection. That crash was attributed in part to the fact that the traffic light was not functioning.
Several other serious crashes have occurred at the intersection.
State police at Schuylkill Haven are investigating a crash again at the intersection of Routes 61 and 895 in the village of Molino in West Brunswick Township. The crash occurred at 8:30 a.m. State police report a van being driven west on Route 895 failed to stop for the red light. The unit continued out into the intersection where it was struck by a north bound van on Route 61. The driver of the offending van was seriously injured and flown from the scene. The intersection has been the scene of many serious crashes, including one last month that claimed the life of Mahoning township supervisor Franklin Ruch. COPYRIGHT LARRY NEFF/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS