ATV crash kills two
By William Kibler, bkibler@altoonamirror.comGRASSFLAT - A double head-on crash of all-terrain vehicles here in Clearfield County Sunday evening killed two men, left another in a coma and seriously injured yet another.
The crash along an easy curve on dirt-surfaced Peale Road in Cooper Township killed Jerome McClusick, 43, of Bellfonte and Joseph Kuneck, 38, of Pottstown.
It left Lester Walk, 20, of Morrisdale in critical condition and Adam Ehrlick, 40, of Pottstown in serious condition, both at Altoona Regional System, and bruised and battered Angela Heatley, 43, of Bellefonte, McClusick's fiancee.
Heatley had her head tucked behind the back of McClusick, who was at the head of a group of 10 friends who'd just decided to call it an evening, when the crash occurred, just as it was starting to get ''dusky,'' Heatley said.
Kuneck and Ehrlick were coming around the curve toward them.
McClusick apparently tried to swerve, Heatley said.
Walk's ATV was right behind them, she said.
Home from the hospital Monday, Heatley recalled a friend in the group asking her to ''stay with me, stay with me.''
''In my head, I was saying yes,'' she said.
Beyond that, she doesn't remember much until she awoke in the hospital.
Jerry, however, ''didn't make any noise,'' she said, based on what others told her.
''He just died,'' she said.
A state police accident reconstruction team and a research unit are investigating the crash, said trooper Josh Thorpe of the Clearfield barracks.
He doesn't yet know how fast they were going, but said, ''they weren't putting around.''
The two drivers who died weren't wearing helmets, Thorpe said.
The two who were wearing helmets survived.
Walk is in a coma, however, said Debra Moriarity, who has children who are his half-siblings and who lives less than a mile from the crash site.
Heatley and McClusick planned to marry, probably next spring, Heatley said.
They were both divorced. They met about 2 years ago and ''totally fell in love,'' she said.
''I felt it was meant to be,'' she said of their relationship.
McClusick was ''a lot of fun, easy-going, fair and a hard worker,'' she said.
He was a union pipefitter who'd been working most recently at a factory in Bellefonte.
The youngest of eight siblings, he had a motorcycle and she loved to ride behind him.
They went to the Black Hills for a rally a few weeks ago.
''Normally, his body always shielded me,'' she said. ''Bugs would hit him, cold air would get him.''
But she felt safe.
''He knew what he was doing,'' she said.
On Sunday, she flew over his body.
At the crash site, phosphorescent orange paint outlined what might have been the spot where a body lay in a shallow drainage ditch at the side of the 20-foot wide road, with a used plastic syringe and adhesive bandage packaging lying next to it.
There also was a sizeable spot of oil in the roadway, although the evidence was easy to miss, and was in fact missed by many in vehicles who traveled the road to see the crash site Monday.
Heatley's former next-door neighbor - and current neighbor of Moriarity - Jennifer Hill Ertmer, had noticed with dismay an increase in the number and speed of ATVs heading up her street and onto Peale Road.
She'd had the idea that ''someone in this group is going to end up in the hospital or the morgue,'' she said.
Larry Mayes, secretary of the Snow Shoe Rails to Trails, visited the crash site with his wife, the group president and member Eric Brooks, a certified ATV ridership trainer.
''There's a lesson to be learned here,'' Mayes said.
Riders should wear helmets, keep to their own side of the road and keep their vehicles under control, the group members said.
''Two people died for no reason,'' Mayes said.
They also should ride where ATVs are permitted, such as the rail-trail the group administers, he said.
Peale Road is off-limits to ATVs, Thorpe said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.
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TWRoyce
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09-07-08 7:08 PM
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I agree with Ruthe. This IS a very poorly written article, right now the family & friends that are mourning these poor men, DON'T need to hear about rules & lessons to be learned. There is a time & place for those things. My good friend's best friend, Lester, was unfotunately killed in this accident. I also live in Reading, Pa & the last thing we all want to read in this article about him & what happened that horrible day is that we should all learn a "lesson" about this accident. Stop pointing fingers & let us all mourn this terrible loss before you start shoving "lessons" down our throats. You should go back to school & learn how to be COMPASSIONITE!
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FROGman
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09-07-08 5:33 PM
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May Joseph, Jerome and Lester rest in peace. My heart goes out to all the families involved. This is one of the worst accidents in ATV history in Pa. 3 lives were lost. To all the surviving families and friends hug your mother father and children. Let them know you love them.
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Rutheb
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09-05-08 10:10 PM
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This is a very poorly written article, right now the family & friends that are mourning these poor men, DON'T need to hear about rules & lessons to be learned. There is a time & place for those things. My son's dearest & best friend, Lester, was unfotunately killed in this accident. We live in Reading, Pa & the last thing we want to read in this article about him & what happened that horrible day is that we should all learn a "lesson" about this accident. Why don't you print another story some other time about rules on an ATV? Let us all mourn before you start shoving "lessons" down our throats. You should go back to school & learn how to be compassionite.
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caringmom
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09-02-08 10:17 PM
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MY SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF ALL INVOLVED. FROM EXPERIENCE YOU MUST TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME..... AND ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH,
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FROGman
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09-02-08 8:46 PM
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Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler needs to get his facts right before he writes a story. The thing that should not be forgotten is that lives where lost. To the surviors let them be so that they can have time recovery to heal and mend there lives from this horrific accident.
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mom2four
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09-02-08 2:33 PM
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There were two separate ATV accidents over the weekend. This article is about one that happened very close to my home in Clearfield County. In this accident, Jerome McClusick was not wearing a helmet. In another accident in Cambria County, Mark McCusker was killed when his helmet came off during his accident. The names are very similar so I see how you may have been confused.
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ugmd44
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09-02-08 11:50 AM
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I agree. That is a VERY poorly written article. One of the things I noticed was Kibler writes "The two drivers who died weren't wearing helmets, Thorpe said." which is an apparent quote from PSP. Yet in the attached PSP statement it says "MCCUKSER was wearing a helmet but the helmet came off as he was ejected"
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RazMnaz
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09-02-08 10:07 AM
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Boy, you got that right! And this guy has a degree in Journalism?
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imovedaway
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09-02-08 9:37 AM
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Wow That is 1 poorly written article..
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dragon3
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09-02-08 8:31 AM
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Prayers go out to everyone involved. May the surviors have a full and fast recovery and may God be with them during this hard time.
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