Crime & Safety
Sleepy Driver Crashes Into Tractor Trailer, Police Say
A dozing van driver was moderately hurt when he veered off I-78 and into a disabled tractor-trailer in Upper Saucon Township, state police reported.
A Berks County man was moderately injured recently when he fell asleep while driving on Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township and woke up underneath a trailer of the rig he struck, according to police.
Michael A. Tuturice, 27, of Birdsboro was westbound on I-78 when he fell asleep at 10:41pm Feb. 28, according to state police at Fogelsville.
Tuturice's GMC Savana drifted off the roadway, where he struck a disabled tractor-trailer that was legally parked on the shoulder. Tuturice's van wedged under the trailer, with part of his vehicle blocking the right travel lane.
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Tuturice received moderate unspecified injuries and was transported to a hospital by Upper Saucon Ambulance Corps, police said. The truck driver was unnamed in the police report, but apparently was uninjured.
Tuturice's van received heavy front-end damage, police said. The trailer received moderate damage to the rear. Both had to be towed. The right and middle westbound lanes were closed for about an hour, police said.
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Tuturice was charged with failing to maintain his lane of travel, police said.
