The crash occurred on November 14, 2025, around 7:27 AM in the area of SR 61 South near Terry Reilly Way. Police were dispatched for a report of a two-vehicle accident involving a BMW sedan and a Lexus SUV.
According to investigators, Kenneth Altshuler, 23, of Pottsville, was driving his 2012 BMW southbound on Route 61 at the merge before East Arch Street when he abruptly cut in front of another vehicle at a high rate of speed. Altshuler then lost control of the BMW, striking the rear of a 2025 Lexus SUV driven by Sharon Stidham, 69, of Pottsville.
Following the impact, Altshuler’s vehicle veered off the right side of the roadway, traveling up and over an embankment before descending approximately 100 feet down the other side. The BMW came to rest in the Geisinger parking lot between the SAM building and a nearby carwash.
Altshuler was transported to Lehigh Valley Health Network–East Norwegian Street for injuries suffered in the crash. Stidham declined treatment at the scene but later sought medical evaluation for injuries related to the collision.
Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and were towed from the scene by Womer’s Towing and A&E.
Pottsville Fire Police and EMS assisted police at the scene.