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Police: Car in West Cocalico Township wreck was speeding
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Nov 24, 2009 14:23 EST
Stevens
By RYAN ROBINSON, Staff Writer

The car that crashed in West Cocalico Township early Saturday morning, injuring all five teenagers inside it, was speeding, police said Tuesday.

Ethan Hartman, 19, of Reinholds, was driving "at an extremely high rate of speed" prior to the vehicle striking a telephone pole, East Cocalico Township police said in a press release.

The 900 block of Schoeneck Road where the wreck occurred has a posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour, police said.

Charges against Hartman are pending further investigation, police said.

None of the occupants was properly restrained and all were ejected from the car during the wreck, police said.

A 16-year-old Denver girl remains in the hospital in critical condition. David Brubaker, 18, of Ephrata, a 16-year-old Reinholds boy and a 16-year-old Denver girl have been released from the hospital.

Hartman was expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, police said.

rrobinson@lnpnews.com


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Showing 5 most recent comments out of 23 total TalkBack comments about this article
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QUOTE (lilmiss @ Nov 24 2009, 08:31 PM)
Perhaps some targeted enforcement duties and overall police action for this area are in order. In addition it is a speedway for students upon leaving the High School at the end of the day. Mr Beever, Mr Burns,,,Mr Sweigart ?? Listening ?

Instead of blaming the police for what happened, where were the parents of minors at 3 in the morning? Or maybe you can go through the academy and show Burns and Sweigart how its done?
The mennonite church is actually EPHRATA TOWNSHIP so what does that have to do with East Cocalico Police?

It's all too easy to lay the blame AFTER something tragic happens!

We were all kids once and we would have all done the same thing! When me and my husband were highschool kids -in the 80's- he and his buddies would pair off from the ephrata side of that intersection and run flat out to the the bottom of the knob to the farmer's driveway. And also, back in the day, we always cruised up and down the roads first to see if any cops were there and if so, we picked a different road. I can name at least 5 roads that were frequent drag strips on the weekends in that area. These weren't dealership bought cars either!

I really hope and pray everyone makes it through this....and learns from this!

As far as "dumb kid in a new car" I remember when a respected local businessman bought a brand new Dodge Stealth and rolled the car and totalled it right down around the turn from the kennel!
PistolPackinMama
QUOTE (PistolPackinMama @ Nov 25 2009, 11:09 AM)
Instead of blaming the police for what happened, where were the parents of minors at 3 in the morning? Or maybe you can go through the academy and show Burns and Sweigart how its done?
The mennonite church is actually EPHRATA TOWNSHIP so what does that have to do with East Cocalico Police?

It's all too easy to lay the blame AFTER something tragic happens!


That's a little harsh of a response, lilmiss wasn't blaming the police, only asking for enforcement in areas lilmiss recognized as areas where infractions often occur.
Maffimuk
QUOTE (snephb @ Nov 24 2009, 06:08 PM)
There were comments in the last posting that alcohol was involved in this crash is that still an option as well?

Still an option? Yes.
grieker
QUOTE (PistolPackinMama @ Nov 25 2009, 12:09 PM)
Instead of blaming the police for what happened, where were the parents of minors at 3 in the morning? Or maybe you can go through the academy and show Burns and Sweigart how its done?
The mennonite church is actually EPHRATA TOWNSHIP so what does that have to do with East Cocalico Police?

It's all too easy to lay the blame AFTER something tragic happens!

We were all kids once and we would have all done the same thing! When me and my husband were highschool kids -in the 80's- he and his buddies would pair off from the ephrata side of that intersection and run flat out to the the bottom of the knob to the farmer's driveway. And also, back in the day, we always cruised up and down the roads first to see if any cops were there and if so, we picked a different road. I can name at least 5 roads that were frequent drag strips on the weekends in that area. These weren't dealership bought cars either!

I really hope and pray everyone makes it through this....and learns from this!

As far as "dumb kid in a new car" I remember when a respected local businessman bought a brand new Dodge Stealth and rolled the car and totalled it right down around the turn from the kennel!


I ran the call to that wreck with the Dodge Stealth...boy was that a nice car!
Long Distance
QUOTE (BeachGirlFromPA @ Nov 24 2009, 08:46 PM)
Nate, I think you could find many of us who grew up in that area that either were driving when speeding on that road or were passengers in a car that did. Some did it because they just weren't paying attention, others for the thrill, stupid as that may be.
But most of the speeding I remember was done from the stop sign at the bottom of the King St and is it Queen St split? Anyway, at the Y in the road, and from there you could fly past the quarry till ya got to that hill/bump/whatever with the stone house on the right (if I remember it right). This would have been heading to Ephata, not returning from it.
It's a case of feeling invincible, and we all felt that as teenagers at one time or another. It's a hard and horrible lesson to learn. I don't buy into the rumor mill but I was told that first responders did believe there was alcohol involved. Were they wrong? We don't know that yet for sure.

If there was allcohol involved we would already know. Why would they post THIS article (on Nov. 25th) and not mention the results of a blood/alcohol level test that was done the night of the crash!?

QUOTE (PistolPackinMama @ Nov 25 2009, 12:09 PM)
Instead of blaming the police for what happened, where were the parents of minors at 3 in the morning?


You go on in your post and mention how back in the day when you are your husband.... blahblahblah..... im guessing you and you husband never either snuck out OR said you were one place and went to another!?

People blaming the parents.... did you forget the people in the car were TEENAGERS!!!!????? that word alone should explain it!!!!
KAY242
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