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The man was driving an SUV with a female passenger and two small children along Route 11/15 when he attempted to make an illegal U-turn and was struck by a tractor-trailer around 4:30 p.m. on April 7, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The man was found to be at fault for the accident near Cherry Road in Buffalo Township, say state police.
Hazmat crews were called to the scene because the tractor-trailer was carrying powdered milk, according to PSP. The milk and fuel leaked into Hunters Run, closing the roadway until 7:45 p.m. according to Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation.
All four people in the SUV were airlifted from the scene, according to PSP troopers at the time.
The driver remained in a coma as of Tuesday, according to PSP. The female passenger is “pretty banged up and struggling to remember the crash,” as Trooper Tre Nelson told PennLive.
One of the children in the SUV was a 3-year-old boy who was released from the hospital the next day with just a few scratches, according to Trooper Nelson. The other child was Abby Matos, 4, who remained intubated as of Tuesday.
Matos was ejected from the vehicle, suffering from skull fractures, broken ribs, collapsed lung, and a hematoma on her spinal cord, according to a GoFundMe setup by the family.
The GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $5,000 toward its $6,000 goal to cover the Mato’s medical expenses.
Despite barely being able to move and multiple surgeries, Matos does seem to recognize family members who have visited her hospital room, according to the GoFundMe page.
No charges have been filed against the SUV’s driver because he is still in a coma and it remains unclear if his condition will improve, says Nelson.
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