Five people killed in a fiery crash when their car collided with a tractor-trailer on Route 222 in Lehigh County Wednesday were coworkers, officials said.
Police on Thursday said the group was commuting home when the Subaru Impreza they were traveling in collided with the big rig and burst into flames about 4 p.m. Officials have not identified the victims or said where they worked, but a GoFundMe page set up as a fund for their families identified them.
Police said the car was traveling north on Route 222 about ¼ mile south of Grim Road in Upper Macungie Township. Suddenly the driver crossed the center grass median, traveling directly into the path of a tractor-trailer traveling south on Rt. 222 causing a head-on collision, police said.
The impact separated the Impreza into two parts and both vehicles were engulfed in flames. Police say two of the five people inside the Impreza were ejected. All five people who were inside the car died from their injuries. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office ruled the deaths and accident and planned autopsies for Thursday, hoping forensic evidence could help identify the victims. [[370880791, C]]
The big rig driver, an Allentown man, suffered minor injuries. Rt. 222 was closed for several hours at the scene of the crash.
The Upper Macungie Township Police Department and the county coroner’s office are all investigating the accident. Anyone who witnessed the crash should call Officer Joshua Forrester at 484-661-5911 x-352.
