Sheshequin Township, PA – 20-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Crash with Tractor-Trailer on Sheshequin Road

Sheshequin Township, PA (August 28, 2026) – A 20-year-old motorcyclist from Towanda was killed Friday evening in a crash with a tractor-trailer on Sheshequin Road, south of Goose Hollow Road, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Troopers say the crash happened around 6:31 p.m. on August 28. According to the crash report, 52-year-old Matthew J. Shellenhamer of Lititz was driving a Kenworth tractor-trailer north on Sheshequin Road while Levent K. Van Helden, 20, was riding a Kawasaki motorcycle south. Troopers say Shellenhamer attempted to make a left turn in front of the motorcycle, resulting in the collision.

Police say the tractor-trailer continued a short distance before coming to a controlled stop facing west on a dirt road off Sheshequin Road. The motorcycle came to an uncontrolled stop in the southbound lane. Van Helden was pronounced dead at the scene.

A death like this one happens in the time it takes another driver to misjudge a gap in traffic, and it leaves a family with nothing but a police report to explain how a Friday evening turned into the worst day of their lives.

Fatal Motorcycle Accidents in Pennsylvania

When a vehicle turns left directly into an oncoming motorcyclist’s path, the law generally treats that as a right-of-way violation. A driver preparing to turn across oncoming traffic has a duty to wait until the way is clear, and a motorcycle’s smaller profile does not change that obligation.

Can the family pursue a claim while the crash remains under review? Yes. A civil wrongful death claim moves on its own timeline and does not have to wait on any citation or charging decision against the other driver.

What can a wrongful death claim cover? Funeral and burial costs, the financial support Van Helden would have provided, and the loss of his companionship and guidance are all factors Pennsylvania law allows a family to pursue.

Who else might share responsibility? Because a Kenworth tractor-trailer was involved, the trucking company that owns the vehicle, and potentially the company that employed the driver, may also carry liability depending on their hiring, training, and vehicle maintenance practices.

What is the filing deadline? Under Pennsylvania law, wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years of the date of death (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524, via the Wrongful Death Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8301), which puts the deadline in this case at August 28, 2028.

Contact Our Pennsylvania Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

Scartelli Olszewski represents motorcyclists and grieving families across Northern Pennsylvania, including Bradford County, in crashes caused by drivers who fail to yield or misjudge a turn. Our Scranton motorcycle accident lawyers understand how these cases move, from the initial police report through negotiations with a trucking company’s insurer, and we handle that process so a grieving family doesn’t have to face it alone.

A commercial vehicle’s black box data, dispatch records, and driver logs are often subject to retention schedules that allow a trucking company to overwrite or discard them within weeks, so the sooner an attorney can send a preservation letter, the more evidence survives to tell Van Helden’s side of what happened.

Talk with us at (570) 346-2600.

If your family is facing this same kind of loss, we’re here to walk through what a claim against the driver and the trucking company could look like, whenever you’re ready.