A two-car accident on I-78 in Lower Saucon Township left one of the vehicles in flames and the occupant of the other with back pain, Pennsylvania State Police at Belfast said Friday.
In a crash report, police said the accident happened on I-78 east near mile marker 68.6 around 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12.
According to police, that’s when a 30-year-old Manville, N.J., man who was driving a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup truck began to slow down due to slowing traffic in front of him.
Police said that directly behind him was a 2001 Nissan Altima operated by a 78-year-old Nazareth man, who “couldn’t stop” in time to avoid the crash that followed.
The report said the Nazareth man lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway and struck a guide rail before re-entering the highway and colliding with the pickup on its passenger side.
Police said the Altima’s driver then struck the guide rail a second time before the car caught fire along the south side of the road.
The driver of the pickup was able to bring his vehicle to a controlled stop on the south side of the roadway, police said.
Police said both drivers were uninjured, but a 21-year-old male passenger who was in the pickup complained of minor back pain following the crash and was taken by Bethlehem Township EMS to St. Luke’s Anderson Campus for an evaluation.
The pickup was driven from the scene, police said, and the Altima was towed away.
According to the accident report and court records, the Nazareth driver was issued a citation for speeding.
