Blythe Township, PA – 18-Year-Old Killed, 3 Teens Hurt in DUI Crash With Tanker Truck

Blythe Township, PA (July 29, 2026) – An 18-year-old woman died, and three other teenagers were seriously hurt after a crash involving driving under the influence sent their car into the path of a tanker truck, Pennsylvania State Police say.

The crash happened around 8 p.m. on July 29 in the 1600 block of Burma Road, near Firetower Road, in Blythe Township, according to police.

State Police say the driver of the car lost control going around a curve and spun into the oncoming lane, where a tanker truck struck the passenger side of the vehicle.

The 18-year-old woman, the front seat passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene, police say. Three other teenagers riding in the car were seriously injured.

Pennsylvania State Police confirmed the crash involved driving under the influence. Investigators say they are still working to determine which person in the vehicle was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Part of Burma Road was closed for crash reconstruction, and the accident remains under investigation by State Police.

This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.

A ride home turned into tragedy that leaves one family grieving and three more watching a child recover, with the question of who was impaired still unanswered.

Fatal Drunk Driving Accidents in Pennsylvania

A DUI-related crash opens two separate tracks. Pennsylvania State Police can pursue criminal charges against whoever was impaired, while the surviving teenagers and the family of the teenager who died can pursue a civil claim for damages. The civil case doesn’t have to wait for the criminal case to finish.

• Toxicology results, the vehicles’ data recorders, and any dashcam or witness video from the scene are worth preserving now, before records are overwritten or discarded
• Liability follows whoever investigators confirm was impaired, and an attorney can also look at whether anyone who let an impaired person get behind the wheel shares responsibility
• Because police haven’t yet said which occupant was intoxicated, Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence rule matters here. An injured person can still recover as long as they were not more than 50 percent at fault (42 Pa.C.S. § 7102)
• Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company until you’ve talked with an attorney. Statements taken while a family is still in shock are often used later to minimize a payout

Pennsylvania generally gives a family two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim, and gives the surviving teenagers the same two years to file injury claims (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524). Our Pennsylvania wrongful death attorneys handle both kinds of claims together. For this crash, both deadlines fall on July 29, 2028.

Contact Our Pennsylvania Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys

Losing an 18-year-old this way leaves one family searching for answers no parent should have to chase alone, while three more spend the coming weeks in a hospital room instead of enjoying the rest of their summer.

Our Pennsylvania car accident lawyers have represented families across Northern Pennsylvania in DUI-related crashes, and we know how a claim against an impaired driver’s insurance actually gets built and paid.

Toxicology results and the vehicles’ data recorders are only useful if someone requests and preserves them quickly, and that work is easiest to do in the days right after a crash like this one, not months later.

We take cases like this on contingency. There’s no bill for our time, and nothing is owed unless we recover money for your family.

Why Pennsylvania families trust Scartelli Olszewski:

• $10,000,000 record verdict in Luzerne County
• 100+ years of combined trial experience, with hundreds of jury trials tried
• Led by Melissa A. Scartelli, Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
• Former District Attorney and Court of Common Pleas judge Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. on the team
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum members
• 4.7 Google rating across 39 client reviews, with no disciplinary history for any attorney
• Free consultation and no fee unless we win
• $650,000 car accident settlement

Talk With a Pennsylvania Drunk Driving Accident Attorney at (570) 346-2600

When your family is ready to talk, call us. We’ll walk you through what a case like this actually involves, at no cost and on your own timeline.