IRISH VALLEY - A young man from Irish Valley was reportedly thrown from his vehicle in a rollover crash near his home Saturday afternoon in Shamokin Township.
Michael Zielinskie, 20, of 1241 Elm St., was still being treated for injuries at 7 p.m. Saturday at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, according to a nursing supervisor.
While the extent of his injuries were unknown, emergency responders at the scene of the 4 p.m. crash called him "lucky."
That surely seemed the case given the severe damage sustained by the Volkswagen
Jetta he was driving - the roof crushed, rear windshield and driver-side window smashed and heavy body damage all around.
The vehicle's hood appeared to have popped open during the crash, allowing parts, including the car's battery, to be flung about the scene. Plastic trim from the car's body was also broken and scattered about, as were some contents of the passenger cabin.
State police at Stonington were investigating the accident but released no information.
However, reports from the scene indicate Zielinskie was driving south on Hosta Road, just south of Elm Road, when he lost control of the vehicle. It traveled off the east berm and into a ditch parallel to the road, causing the vehicle to flip into a field before coming to rest.
There were skid marks on the road, along with dirt and debris from when the vehicle drove into the ditch. A thin gouge caused by the vehicle was left in the macadam, measuring about 2 feet long.
Fire personnel from Stonington and Upper Augusta Township responded along with members of Americus and Friendship ambulance units from Sunbury.