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Charges pending against Tamaqua man after Monday crash

Police have released information on a crash that occurred on Monday night in Tamaqua. Charges are pending against one driver.

Tamaqua Police spoke with a witness on scene who said that he followed a vehicle southbound on Route 309 that was swerving in front of him and almost ran two other vehicles off the road. The witness saw the vehicle swerve again, and hit another vehicle head on.

The driver of the swerving vehicle, which caused the crash, was Michael K. Yachera, 45, of Tamaqua. Police spoke with Yachera and observed that he had trouble maintaining his balance, his speech was slurred, eyes were bloodshot and that he smelled of alcohol. Police asked him to submit to a field sobriety test. Yachera said that he had been drinking. He was arrested and transported to St. Luke’s Miners for a blood test. Charges are pending.

There were two victims in the struck vehicle. The driver said that she was traveling north on Route 309, was unable to maneuver out of the way and that Yachera’s vehicle struck her head on. Both victims were treated on scene by EMS personnel and were transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pottsville.

Several people were injured Monday night in a crash in Tamaqua. The head-on crash occurred shortly before 7 p.m. along Route 309 where it divides into Pine and Railroad streets at the north end of town. Route 309 was closed over an hour, with Tamaqua fire police maintaining traffic control at the scene. COPYRIGHT LARRY NEFF/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS