Two men killed in North Atherton
By AIMEE HARRIS
Collegian Staff Writer
From his house on North Ather
ton Street, Colby Ramos has wit
nessed many car accidents.
But never has he witnessed one
as "gruesome" as the one he saw
Saturday night, which claimed the
lives of two area residents.
A truck heading north hit a con
crete divider on the 900 block of
North Atherton Street, flipped
upside down and became airt erne.
The truck then landed roof-down
on a southbound Honda Accord,
said Lt. Diane Conrad of the State
College Police Department. The
truck continued traveling north
west until it landed on its side on
Collegian File Photo
Traffic diverters are supposed to
be mountable by emergency
vehicles, but resident JoAnne
Griffin said that is "ludicrous."
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Ramos' lawn, 910 N. Atherton St.,
after hitting a car in his driveway.
The accident resulted in the
deaths of the two passengers in the
truck, Timothy L. Cori, 29, of Pleas
ant Gap and Troy E. Kellerman, 27,
of Bellefonte,Conrad said.
Mick Lee Hockenberry of Miles
burg, who was released from the
hospital that night, was found in
the driver's seat of a 1977 Ford
pickup truck, which contained
some 'opened beer cans, according
to a news release from the State
College Police Department.
Before the crash, 24-year-old
Ramos said he saw the truck head
ing down the street and remarked
to his mother about the high speed
of the vehicle. The accident
Diverters may have intensified accident traffic
By CHRISTINE KOSOVAC
Collegian Staff Writer
Controversy over the East College Heights
traffic diverters continues to grow after Sat
urday's accident on North Atherton Street
backed up downtown traffic for hours.
Traffic from thousands of students mov
ing into the University and others attending
the nearby Centre County Grange Fair con
tributed to the gridlock. Some local resi
dents are blaming part of the problem on the
diverters, which prevented commuters from
avoiding the jam.
Local emergency crews said the diverters
did not delay their response times.
Lt. Tom Hart of the State College Police
Department said the diverters did not have a
significant impact on response times. He
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occurred seconds later, at about
5:30 p.m.
Ramos said he ran outside to
help the victims while his mother
called the police.
"This is the far worst accident
I've ever seen," he said of the two
viotims pronounced dead at the
No one in the truck, which is
licensed to Hoffman's Machine
Shop on Benner Pike, was wearing
a seat belt, according to a news
release from the State College
Police Department. Open and
unopened beer cans were also
found in the truck, according to the
news release.
"There was a Coors Light case in
the back seat and cans falling all
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said officers arrived on the scene two min
utes after dispatch.
The original pattern Hart said he chose to
divert traffic by sending vehicles east on
Park Avenue might not have been the best
choice because of the resulting traffic con
gestion. There has been some confusion
about the role of the diverters in the traffic
jam, he said.
"People are trying to say that the divert
ers caused a slowdown in traffic," he said.
Diverters were installed more than a year
ago after College - Heights residents voiced
concerns about increased traffic. The divert
ers prohibit Motorists from accessing Park
Avenue by traveling through College
Heights.
The diverters were made to be mountable
by emergency vehicles in an emergency sit-
over the place," Ramos said.
"There was also a case in the
front."
The State College police and the
Centre County Coroner's Office are
continuing to investigate. The
autopsy and toxicology reports will
not be available for several weeks,
Conrad said. The speed of the truck
is not yet known, she added. No
charges have been filed. •
Judith Miller, 56, of Pittsburgh,
the only person traveling in the
Honda, refused medical treatment,
Conrad said.
Ramos' mother, JoAnne Griffin,
said she spent the day with Miller
Sunday. Miller was in shock, Grif
fin said, but suffered no serious
injuries.
uation including police cars, Hart said.
However, area resident JoAnne Griffin said
most vehicles would not be able to drive
over the diverters.
"To me, I think that's ludicrous," Griffin
said.
A truck that flipped and caused Saturday's
accident landed on the front lawn of Grif
fin's residence. Since she moved into her
home July 1989 at 910 N. Atherton St., she
has witnessed more than 30 accidents, rang
ing from fatal accidents to fender benders.
The metropolization of the area through
out the years has made North Atherton
Street into a main traffic artery, Griffin
said. "It's not a road," she said. "It's a high
way."
Shawn Kaufman, assistant chief of the
Alpha Fire Company, 400 W. Beaver Ave.,
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Street accident
Firemen attend the scene of the fatal accident on North Atherton Street
Two of the passengers in the pick-up truck were killed in the crash.
The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Aug. 27, 1997
said the company has no official comment on
Saturday's incident.
The fire company administrator Walt Wise
said the response time was a understandable
considering the traffic congestion. The call
came in at 5:36 p.m., vehicles were dis
patched at 5:42 p.m. and arrived on the scene
at 5:47 p.m., he said.
Chris Pedersen, acting operations director
for Alpha Ambulance Services, 805 S. Ather
ton St., said the company currently utilizes
four ambulances to serve the area.
Ambulance response times for Saturday's
accident were unavailable. Any time there is
traffic, he said, it can affect response time.
"At this point in time we have no cases
where the diverters have hindered our
ambulances getting to patients."
Collegian Photo/David S. Spence