Elderly driver likely suffered medical episode moments before fatal crash
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PENNSDALE -- An elderly man was killed Saturday afternoon when his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck crashed into a tree on Route 220, about two miles north of Interstate 180, in Muncy Township, state police said.
The driver was identified as William E. Messersmith, 87, of Montoursville, who may have suffered a medical emergency moments before the noon crash, Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. said late Sunday afternoon. Although the truck was demolished, it appeared that Messersmith, who was wearing a seat belt, only suffered minor scrapes and abrasions in the crash, Kiessling said. There were no signs of traumatic injuries to his body, he added.
Muncy Township resident and retired auto parts manager Grant Ball said "It sounded like three explosions, three loud explosions. There was one, and then two booms in rapid succession." The crash occurred in front of his home.
There was no fire.
Ball said he believes what he heard was the truck striking one end of his driveway and then seconds later the other end after the vehicle went airborne about 30 feet. The truck then went into a drainage ditch and crashed into a tree, Ball said a witness told him.
"I rushed outside, saw what happened and called 911 immediately," he added.
Moments later, an off-duty state trooper pulled up onto the scene and went to the driver's aid, Ball said.
"He tried to find a pulse on him, but he couldn't" he added
Police said Messersmith was heading south on Route 220 when his truck went off the two-lane roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene and taken to the forensic. center at UPMC Williamsport, police said. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Besides state police, Muncy Township and Hughesville firefighters responded to the crash, which shut down the highway from Beacon Light Road – Rabbittown Road to Auchmuty Road until about 2:30 p.m.