911 tapes raise more questions about crash victim police didn't find
September 17, 2009 | Filed in: RTK request
stories | 911 logs
BY CHARLES SCHILLINGER
Citizens Voice Staff Writer
Newly released 911 audio recordings show that three callers reported a vehicle that had crashed in February off the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leading to the death of a Taylor man.
The crash was only briefly investigated by state police, and the scene wasn't located by authorities until the third call, three days later, from people who stopped their cars on the highway to inspect what they saw.
The initial call came at 11:41 a.m. on Feb. 21. The person reported a crash on Interstate 476. State police, who were a mile away on a traffic stop, found no crash, officials said on the 911 recordings released by Lackawanna County Communications Center.
The second call, at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 22, reported a car that had crashed in the woods. Again, no crash was found, according to the 911 recordings.
Then, three days after the crash, at 1:02 p.m. on Feb. 24, Sam Turoni and his vehicle were found. Not by state police - but by a 74-year-old man from Old Forge.
In all three cases, callers were able to see the car while driving by the scene during the day, and gave descriptions of the location within a mile, raising questions about the inability of state police to find the crash.
State police have declined to comment, other than that they have labeled the incident a "nontraffic death." Times-Shamrock Newspapers has made a public records request for information on the crash.
Turoni, 47, died from injuries suffered in the crash, possibly complicated by hypothermia, according to an autopsy report provided by the Lackawanna County Coroner's Office. Despite debilitating injuries, Turoni was at one point conscious and able to get out of the car before collapsing on the ground.
Citizens Voice Staff Writer
Newly released 911 audio recordings show that three callers reported a vehicle that had crashed in February off the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, leading to the death of a Taylor man.
The crash was only briefly investigated by state police, and the scene wasn't located by authorities until the third call, three days later, from people who stopped their cars on the highway to inspect what they saw.
The initial call came at 11:41 a.m. on Feb. 21. The person reported a crash on Interstate 476. State police, who were a mile away on a traffic stop, found no crash, officials said on the 911 recordings released by Lackawanna County Communications Center.
The second call, at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 22, reported a car that had crashed in the woods. Again, no crash was found, according to the 911 recordings.
Then, three days after the crash, at 1:02 p.m. on Feb. 24, Sam Turoni and his vehicle were found. Not by state police - but by a 74-year-old man from Old Forge.
In all three cases, callers were able to see the car while driving by the scene during the day, and gave descriptions of the location within a mile, raising questions about the inability of state police to find the crash.
State police have declined to comment, other than that they have labeled the incident a "nontraffic death." Times-Shamrock Newspapers has made a public records request for information on the crash.
Turoni, 47, died from injuries suffered in the crash, possibly complicated by hypothermia, according to an autopsy report provided by the Lackawanna County Coroner's Office. Despite debilitating injuries, Turoni was at one point conscious and able to get out of the car before collapsing on the ground.