Note: This story has been updated with additional information and corrected to identify the type of truck that was struck.
A fiery two-vehicle accident on I-78 east in Lower Saucon Township could have been worse, Pennsylvania State Police at Belfast confirmed in an accident report Monday.
According to the report, neither driver was seriously hurt following the Sunday afternoon crash, in which police said a 54-year-old Bangor man on a 2000 Kawasaki Ninja 900R motorcycle collided with a 2006 Ford F350 dump truck operated by a 49-year-old Hellertown man near mile marker 64.6.
I-78 bisects Hellertown borough and Lower Saucon Township in Northampton County (FILE PHOTO)
Police said motorcycle operator Jack B. Sales was wearing a helmet when he crashed.
According to the family of the dump truck operator, he was slowing down in traffic when Sales rolled off his motorcycle and the bike skidded down the highway, catching fire before it hit and became wedged underneath the truck.
Police said the truck ended up in the highway’s left lane, facing east.
Sales’ motorcycle ended up underneath the truck’s rear bumper, facing north, they said.
According to the accident report and information provided by the dump truck driver’s family, the truck caught on fire after the burning bike became stuck underneath it.
Both vehicles sustained disabling damage as a result of the blaze, police said.
Channel 69 News shared eyewitness video from the accident scene Sunday, in which the truck can be seen engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke as traffic passes by it.
Police said Sales suffered suspected minor injuries in the crash, but wasn’t taken to the hospital.
According to court records, Sales has been cited by state police for Driving on Roadways Laned for Traffic, with the summary citation filed Monday in Northampton County District Court 03-2-04 in Lower Saucon Township.
Channel 69 reported that the eastbound side of the highway was temporarily closed due to the accident, but had reopened to traffic by around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Note: All individuals accused of or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This story was compiled using information from Pennsylvania State Police, Belfast barracks, and Northampton County court records.
