A four-hour highway closure along Route 30 left Franklin County commuters backed up Friday evening following a fatal two-vehicle wreck. State police locked down Lincoln Way West near St. Thomas Township after an oncoming vehicle collided head-on with a drifting minivan around 5 p.m.
Investigators say 77-year-old Glen Rock resident Robert F. Stevens was driving his 2013 Dodge Caravan eastbound when the incident began. As he approached the Route 416 junction, his vehicle suddenly strayed out of the eastbound lane.
The minivan crossed over the painted double yellow lines into the path of oncoming traffic. With no time for either driver to swerve, the minivan struck a westbound vehicle head-on, scattering metal and vehicle glass across both lanes of Lincoln Way West.
State troopers and local fire crews closed down the highway stretch right away. Emergency medical personnel examined both drivers, but Stevens could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the crash site by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.
The operator of the oncoming vehicle was far luckier, walking away with only minor injuries. First responders treated the driver on site while police officers marked out skid marks and vehicle debris across the road surface.
Route 30 remained closed to all traffic for roughly four hours while crash reconstruction officers examined the roadway. The lengthy shutdown forced Friday evening drivers onto side roads throughout St. Thomas Township until the scene was cleared around 9 p.m.
State police have not released any official cause for why Stevens drifted across the center line. The investigation remains open as authorities work to determine whether a medical event or mechanical failure caused the fatal crossover.
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