A 19-year-old woman and an 18-month-old child were killed Monday in a crash on Route 222 at the overpass for Kutztown Road in Richmond Township, police said.
The woman, Shanelle Aviles, and the female child, both of Columbia, Lancaster County, were passengers in a car driven by a 27-year-old woman from Pottsville, said Fleetwood police, who provide coverage in the township. Police said the child was in a safety seat, but it was unknown if the woman was using a seat belt.
Aviles was pronounced dead Monday at 12:25 p.m. at the scene by a Berks County deputy coroner.
The child, whose name was withheld by the authorities, was pronounced dead an hour later in the emergency department of Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, according to the Lehigh County coroner’s office. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the cause and manner of death.
Police said the driver, whose name is being withheld by police, and a 7-year-old boy who also was a passenger in the car were seriously injured. They said the driver was not using a seat belt, and it was unknown if the boy was in a safety seat.
Police gave this account:
The car was southbound on Route 222 about 10:50 a.m. Monday. As it entered a curve, it went off the road and across the center median into the left northbound lane where it collided with an SUV driven by a 44-year-old woman from White Marsh, Md.
The car went over the bridge and crashed on the road below. Three of the four occupants were thrown from the car.
After the collision, the SUV spun and was struck by a tractor-trailer driven by a 42-year-old male. The SUV ended up part way under the trailer.
The SUV driver was wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries.
The truck driver was wearing a seat belt and was not injured.
The injured were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest.
Their names were not released.
Northbound traffic on Route 222 was detoured for more than five hours.
Police said the investigation continues.