A tragic motorcycle accident occurred this past Sunday evening in Lancaster County, injuring two and leaving five dead.

Three Harley Davidson motorcycles collided with a van in the southbound lanes of Route 97, killing three men and two women motorcyclists.  A third woman motorcyclist survived the accident and was taken to Lancaster General Hospital in critical condition.  The driver of the van was also transported to Lancaster General Hospital in fair condition.

Pennsylvania Township police officials are unsure of what caused the accident and the order the motorcycles hit the van, but continue to investigate.  So far, they know that the motorcyclists were driving northbound on Route 97, but are unsure of the direction the van was traveling.  Police Corporal Rodney King said, “One hit in front and then the other two hit on either side…So there was some rotation of the van.  It’s really hard to tell who was going which way because the van was hit in three different areas”.

Law enforcement officials found helmets strewn about the scene and believe some of the motorcyclists were wearing helmets, but they probably fell off in the accident.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the motorcyclists.

A total of seven people were injured this past Monday in a drilling accident near Moundsville, West Virginia. Three remain in the hospital, but hospital officials say the injuries are not life threatening.

The accident occurred on Monday when Union Drilling Inc. workers hit a pocket of methane gas while sinking a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine. Gas and environmental officials are unsure of how the methane ignited.

A spokeswoman for Chief Oil & Gas LLC, Kristi Gittens, said they are trying to move some of the equipment from the rig while the methane burns, and will try to cap the well when it is safe to approach.

Furthermore, Gittens stated, “Drilling for natural gas is not accident-free. You can’t say that about any industrial operation. But we take our role in protecting our workers, the community and the environment seriously”.

If your or someone you love has been injured in the workplace, contact the Harrisburg personal injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.

Last year, the Pennsylvania house voted to pass legistlation which would consider texting and driving a primary offense, meaning that if a police officer saw a driver texting while driving they would be able to pull them over and issue the driver a citation.

Now, the bill has made it to the Senate only to fall in a 33-14 vote to ammend the legislation to make texting and driving a secondary offense. A secondary offense means that an officer is only able to issue a citation after having pulled a driver over for a primary offense. In the case of texting and driving, this would essentially make texting and driving legal for those who are not speeding or committing any other primary driving offenses.

Joseph Markosek, author of the bill, stated, “My legislation would allow law enforcement to be proactive and stop these drivers before an accident occurs”.

The bill also takes into consideration the age of drivers, which was a turning point for some voters. If different circumstances apply to those of a certain age, particularly teens with driving permits etc., it can create a difficult situation for police officers who cannot usually tell a drivers specific age. Some states like New Jersey require a special stickers to be placed on younger drivers’ vehicles.

For now the bill is up for ammendment to settle the issues of age and primary vs. secondary offense, but members of the senate agree that in general texting and driving can be very dangerous. “I don’t think any of us would disagree that you should not be texting while driving,” declared Gordon.

Currently, 25 states have banned texting and driving.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident contact the Harrisburg personal injury attorneys at Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 to learn more about your rights.