The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office is seeking the public’s help to complete investigations of fatal and serious injury crashes that happened recently in that county.

District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said investigators continue to piece together details of the crashes, but ask witnesses to “come forward with information about these crashes.”

Holihan said a Lehigh County Reconstruction Team and assistant district attorneys typically respond to the sites of serious and/or fatal crashes to provide advice to investigating officers, which, he said, is “a critical step in helping properly preserve and collect evidence.”

Open cases

Holihan said four cases remain under investigation.

They include a fatal crash that occurred just before 7 p.m. on Sunday in the 700 block of Central Boulevard in Bethlehem. Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, 20, of Allentown, was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office determined the death was accidental and due to blunt force injuries.

Holihan said police are seeking to identify the driver in the incident. Police know a Honda Accord was traveling northbound on Central Boulevard, following two other vehicles, when the driver attempted to pass the two vehicles, he lost control and slid on the passenger side into a telephone pole on the west side of the road.

After the incident occurred, the driver fled the area into the woods. Both Bethlehem and Allentown officers searched the area in an attempt to locate him, but were unsuccessful.

Police are also seeking input of a crash that occurred at 2:35 p.m. Oct. 11 on American Parkway, just north of the intersection of Bradford Street in Allentown.

The vehicle involved, a Nissan Maxima, had been reported stolen earlier that day in Allentown. Two teens, ages 14 and 15, were both injured. The driver, whose name will not be released due to his age, was seriously injured. A passenger inside the car also received minor injuries in the accident.

An investigation showed the car was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed when it went out of control and crashed into a streetlight pole before flipping over.

In two other crashes, which occurred on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, the DA’s office determined they were not criminal in nature, as police determined the victims of the crashes were at fault.

They include a fatal crash at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at West Saucon Valley Circle and Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township. A SUV driven by Allen Cassaday, 32, of Center Valley, was turning left from eastbound Center Valley Parkway into the western entrance of the Promenade Shoppes, when a motorcycle driven by Jorge Pickett, 34, of Bethlehem, went through a steady red light for westbound traffic on Center Valley Parkway and struck the SUV. Police said Pickett died from multiple blunt force injuries. His death was ruled accidental by the coroner.

Cassaday and his wife, who was a front seat passenger, were seriously injured, police said.

Police also investigated a fatal crash at 10:37 a.m. Oct. 5 at the intersection of West Tilghman Street and Werley Road in Upper Macungie Township remains open. Police said a vehicle driven by Judith Crossley of Upper Macungie Township was headed eastbound on West Tilghman Street in the right lane to turn onto Werley Road.

They said a car driven by Stephen La Pierre, 66, of Upper Macungie Township, sideswiped Crossley’s vehicle, struck a curb and crossed all lanes on Tilghman Street before hitting a lamp pole and became airborne. La Pierre was ejected in the crash and died from multiple blunt force injuries and his death was ruled accidental by the coroner.

An investigation into this crash determined La Pierre’s car had been speeding just prior to the accident. The district attorney said although the investigation is ongoing and it is unclear whether La Pierre suffered a medical emergency that caused or contributed to the accident, it is clear he was the cause of the accident, and therefore no criminal charges will be filed.

The DA’s office can be reached at 610-782-3100.