A woman who lost her husband in a motorcycle collision on Route 15 at Pinchtown Road in Clinton Township pleaded with township supervisors to meet with the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and consider adding a no left turn designation at the intersection on the crest of the hill.

“My husband and I were the victims of the accident on Aug. 5, 2024,” said Jennifer Engel who was immediately offered empathy and sympathy on behalf of the entire board of township supervisors. Those in attendance included Joe Lyons, a traffic engineer with District 3 PennDOT and Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Todd Winder, who has served as chief for 26 years and 40 years in fire service.

“A man pulled out in front of us,” Engel said in a soft voice. She had asked her friends and those concerned about the dangerous intersection to attend the township meeting.

The accident claimed the life of her husband, James Engel, 57, of Old Lycoming Township. She also was injured in the crash and was in the intensive care unit of a hospital in critical condition, initially. Both were wearing helmets.

State police reported that Engel was heading north on Route 15 when his motorcycle and a pickup truck driven by Glenn Wirth, 61, of Montgomery, collided about 9:20 p.m. Wirth was pulling out from Pinchtown Road and turning left to head south when the collision occurred.

The board of supervisors, through Chairman Patrick Deitrick, expressed how sorry they were for her loss.

It was a sincere expression of empathy and sympathy from the board.

“We are very sorry for your loss,” Deitrick said.

Engel whispered, “Thank you,” and added, “What brings me here today – to have this intersection changed, so that no one else goes through this.”

Engel pleaded with the board (Supervisors Lanny Wertz, Donald Wagner, Deitrick, Douglas McClintock and Richard Kneedler), “so that nobody else had to endure such tragedy or injury like I had to go through . . . so that they don’t have all the surgeries and serious injuries that I continuously go through.”

She wanted it so that no one could make a left turn coming out of that intersection. “It is such a really bad intersection coming up over that hill,” she said.

“Regardless of the gentleman who caused the accident, on a good day, it is still a bad intersection,” she said. “If we put that up there and have that law at least something could be done with enforcement,” she said.

Her son also urged there be a temporary solution by adding a no left turn at the intersection. He cautioned the board how the intersection allows for those with not so excellent judgment to enter the highway into the traffic lanes.

Lyons noted Clinton Township could submit a request to PennDOT to conduct a turn restriction study at Route 15 and Pinchtown Road.

The study would analyze the intersection for safety and sight distance concerns, before determining if any turn restrictions are warranted.

Clinton Township will be reaching out to set up a meeting with PennDOT to further discuss restricting left turns at this intersection, he said in a summary to the Sun-Gazette.

PennDOT also suggested including the local fire departments in the meeting and reaching out to the Lycoming County landfill operators to make them aware of the request to study.

“We will set up a meeting as soon as possible with PennDOT,” Deitrick said.

In terms of adding safety across the township, red flashing lights are working at stop signs at certain intersections, and major roads that join Route 15. They were flashing in the rain in the dark after the township meeting on a stop sign at Route 54 and Brouse Road, for example.

Some residents there also were concerned about a perceived lack of enforcement regarding speeding.

Winder, who also was sympathetic to Engel and family in their loss and subsequent healing after the collision, offered his perspective as a veteran fire chief.

As someone who has responded to accidents on the six-mile stretch of highway both north and southbound lanes, he said he understood how upset Engel was about the intersection.

He cautioned supervisors that a left turn there could impact the responses for the fire company, emergency medical services providers, trash haulers, and school bus drivers.

He also referenced traffic from a future development of 300 homes on Blind Road.