No injuries, charges after SUV struck house
WEST SUNBURY — Icy roads were blamed for a crash shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday in the borough, where a sport utility vehicle struck a small house on Main Street, authorities said.
The driver, Linda Stoops, 60, of West Sunbury, apparently was not injured. Her 2007 Subaru Outback was damaged in the crash and had to be towed.
There was no one in the home at the time, and it was not certain if anybody lives there. The house appeared to have sustained little, if any, damage in the accident.
West Sunbury volunteer firefighters said local roads were ice covered and so slippery that they had to call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and request a crew to come out and salt Main Street.
Some firefighters confirmed firsthand experience with the slick roads as they drove to the scene of the accident. Some reported seeing other vehicles spin out before they got there.Traffic in both directions on Main Street was stopped for at least 20 minutes to allow the PennDOT crew to treat the road.Police said Stoops was traveling north when she lost control of her Subaru on the ice while going around a curve. The vehicle “began to spin out,” according to the investigating trooper.The vehicle hit and went over the curb before traveling backwards into the house.Carissa Stewart, who lives across the street, was at home with her children when she heard the crash.“As soon as I heard the tires squealing,” she said, “I heard the bang.”
She opened her door and saw the wreck. Stewart, who works for the Moniteau School District, also spotted one of the district's principals and also a teacher who were stopped on the road in their vehicles.Stewart said she called 911 and ran over to make sure the driver was alright.“She was a little worked up,” Stewart said of the driver.After a wrecker hauled away the damaged SUV, the road reopened about 9 a.m. Police said no charges were filed.
