22 August 2023- A four car crash in St Thomas at the intersection of US-30 and PA-416 claims the life of a Chambersburg man. Johnny Epps, 51, of Chambersburg, was pronounced deceased following the multi car collision.
Police, fire, and EMS were called to the intersection of Lincoln Way West and Mercersburg Road around 5:24pm on August 21st for a reported collision. Troopers say that a 2002 Ford F150 driven by Epps was in the westbound turn lane on Lincoln Way West when he cross the road and tried to turn into a store prior to Mercersburg Road.
Epps’ vehicle collided with a 2016 Volvo tractor trailer driven by a Gardners, PA man head on in the eastbound lane. After striking each other, both the tractor trailer and the F150 spun uncontrollably in both lanes of traffic, with the F150 ending facing North and the semi hitting a utility pole. The spinning semi truck reportedly struck another vehicle, a 2005 Ford Econoline E350, that was parked at the gas station.
Debris from the semi also flew off and hit the pumps at Saint Thomas Diesel, causing damage to the gas pumps and necessitating the hazmat unit. The last vehicle, a 2022 Chevrolet Colorado, was travelling westbound on LWW when it was hit but debris from Epps’ vehicle. Police say that the F150, the Volvo semi, and the Ford Econoline all sustained disabling damage, with the Chevy Colorado only sustaining minor damage and subsequently being able to be driven from the scene.
Epps was transported by Chambersburg EMS immediately after the collision but passed away in transit to the hospital. The truck driver was treated on scene by Penn State Health EMS and refused transport to the hospital. The Econoline didn’t have anyone inside of it at the time of the crash. Finally, the driver and passenger in the last pickup were not injured in the crash.
Johnny O. Epps was 51 at the time of his passing. He’s listed as being from Chambersburg.
