A 50-year-old man from Bucks County was tragically killed when a wrong-way driver collided with his motorcycle on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Washington Township.
The incident occurred on I-476 northbound near mile marker 67 around 9 a.m. on Sunday. Pennsylvania State Police received calls reporting a crash involving a group of motorcyclists.
According to authorities, a 24-year-old woman from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes when her vehicle struck two motorcyclists.
One of the riders, identified as John Joseph Sweeney Jr. from Bristol, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was riding with a small group of fellow motorcyclists during the incident.
Another motorcyclist, a 24-year-old man from Bristol, sustained injuries and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest for treatment. The wrong-way driver suffered only minor injuries, police reported.
The investigation temporarily closed the roadway, but it has since reopened.
Sweeney’s death has been ruled an accident, and an investigation is currently being conducted by the coroner’s office, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.A 50-year-old man from Bucks County was killed in a crash involving a wrong-way driver on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Washington Township.
Pennsylvania State Police responded to the incident on I-476 northbound near mile marker 67 around 9 a.m. on Sunday after receiving reports of a crash involving a group of motorcyclists.
Authorities stated that a 24-year-old woman from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes when she collided with two motorcyclists.
One of the motorcyclists, identified as John Joseph Sweeney Jr. of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead at the scene. Sweeney was part of a small group of motorcyclists traveling on the turnpike at the time of the incident.
A 24-year-old man from Bristol was injured in the crash and transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest. The wrong-way driver sustained minor injuries, according to police.
The roadway was temporarily closed for the investigation but has since reopened.
Sweeney’s death has been ruled an accident, and investigations are ongoing by the coroner’s office, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
