Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan has provided updates on several recent fatal and serious crashes.

According to Holihan, in an Oct. 14 news release, each time a serious or fatal accident occurs, the Lehigh County Crash Reconstruction Team, law enforcement and an assistant district attorney responds to the scene to advise police in conducting their investigation, a critical step in helping properly preserve and collect evidence.

Some of these investigations can be quite lengthy to determine exactly what has occurred by analyzing video evidence, mechanical data from the vehicles involved and witness statements as well as a reconstruction of the crash.

According to Holihan, a fatal crash occurred at 10 p.m. Oct. 5 in Upper Macungie at the intersection of West Tilghman Street and Werley Road.

A vehicle driven by Judith Crossley of Upper Macungie was eastbound on West Tilghman Street in the right lane to turn onto Werley Road.

A car driven by Stephen La Pierre, 66, also of Upper Macungie, sideswiped Crossley’s vehicle, struck a curb and crossed all lanes on Tilghman Street before hitting a lamp pole and became airborne.

La Pierre, who was ejected from his vehicle, was pronounced dead at 10:37 p.m. that night from multiple blunt force injuries.

His death was ruled an accident by Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio.

According to Holihan, an investigation into this crash determined La Pierre’s car had been speeding just before the accident.

Although the investigation is ongoing and it is unclear whether La Pierre suffered a medical emergency that caused or contributed to the accident.

“It is clear that La Pierre was the cause of the accident, and therefore no criminal charges will be filed,” Holihan said.

Two crashes that occurred the weekend of Oct. 12-13, remain under investigation and two others that occurred on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6 were determined to be not criminal as the investigation revealed the victims were at fault.

“We are also seeking the public’s help to come forward with information about these crashes,” Holihan said.

The most recent fatal accident occurred just before 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the 700 block of Central Boulevard, Bethlehem.

Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, 20, of Allentown, was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Hernandez-Cartagena died from blunt force injuries and his death was ruled accidental by Buglio.

The investigation remains ongoing as to the identity of the driver in an accident that claimed the life of Hernandez-Cartagena.

A Honda Accord was traveling northbound on Central Boulevard, following two other vehicles.

The Honda attempted to pass the two vehicles, lost control and slid on the passenger side into a telephone pole on the west side of the road.

After the accident occurred, the driver fled the area into the woods.

Both Bethlehem and Allentown officers searched the area in an attempt to locate him, but were unsuccessful.

Another accident occurred at 2:35 p.m. on Oct. 11 on American Parkway, just north of the intersection of Bradford Street in Allentown.

The vehicle involved, a Nissan Maxima, reported stolen earlier that day in Allentown.

Two teens, ages 14 and 15, were injured.

The driver, whose name will not be released due to his age, was seriously injured.

A passenger inside the car also received minor injuries in the accident.

An investigation showed that the car was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed when the car lost control and crashed into a streetlight pole before flipping over.

Another fatal crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at West Saucon Valley Circle and Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township.

A SUV driven by Allen Cassaday, 32, of Center Valley, was turning left from eastbound Center Valley Parkway into the western entrance to the Promenade Shoppes.

His wife was in the front passenger seat.

As the Cassaday’s vehicle turned left, a motorcycle driven by Jorge Pickett, 34, of Bethlehem, went through the steady red light for westbound traffic on Center Valley Parkway and struck the SUV.

Pickett died from multiple blunt force injuries and his death was ruled accidental by Buglio.

An investigation determined Pickett was at fault and both Cassaday and his wife were seriously injured in the crash, Holihan said.

There have been media inquiries into the status of fatal/serious accident and crash investigations and we are releasing these details to make the public aware of the serious consequences that occur when someone is driving recklessly or speeding, Holihan said.

“Not only do they put themselves at risk but they endanger the lives of others not engaging in risky behavior,” he added.