COAL RUN - A resident of this tiny Coal Township village said her family was awakened Saturday morning by the sound of squealing tires and three "horrible" noises.
The scene described by Prena Kolovic was that of an accident that occurred about 4:30 a.m. along Route 2026 about a half-mile from the Routes 61-901 interchange. The driver of a pickup truck apparently lost control and crashed into two parked vehicles owned by Nick and Prena Kolovic before his vehicle rolled into and cracked a utility pole, knocking out electricity and cable service for much of the day. The pickup truck came to rest on its passenger side against the pole.
Coal Township police responded, but information regarding the identity of the driver or what caused the crash was not available Saturday.
Prena Kolovic said when she came outside, the truck was on its side and she immediately called 911.
She said the driver, a male, was able to get out of the vehicle by himself, but Kolovic said she watched as he was placed in the back of a squad car and driven away by police.
At the scene, skid marks indicate the pickup was headed toward Ranshaw when it slid slightly off the berm and then swerved back across the double yellow lines. The truck first struck a gold Kia Sorento LX and pushed that into, and likely also struck, a Ford Expedition. Both vehicles are owned by the Kolovics and their son, Alex, who all live at 37 State Route 2026. The vehicles were parked in an unpaved lot across from the Kolovic house.
The Expedition had damage to the passenger side and both vehicles had severe damage to their front bumpers and hoods.
According to Prena and another neighbor, electric and cable service was out for a period of the day in Coal Run, but that crews from PPL and Service Electric were working on the lines all day.
By 7:30 p.m., a crew of three from Service Electric was on scene, and a new pole was already in place.
Prena said she was unable to go to work at Geisinger Medical Center Saturday and might not be able to go anywhere until they buy new cars. Her husband, Nick Kolovic, who owns Two Guys from Italy restaurant in the Anthra Plaza close to their home, walked to work Saturday.