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Girl Killed, 4 Hospitalized In Christmas Eve Crash Near Lancaster/Chester County Line

An 11-year-old girl has died following a serious two-vehicle crash near the Lancaster and Chester counties line, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Christmas Eve. 

A Pennsylvania State Police vehicle, and a map and a street view of the exact area where the head-on crash occurred in the 6150 block of Old Philadelphia Pike/West Kings Highway/Route 340 in Salisbury Township on Christmas Eve

A Pennsylvania State Police vehicle, and a map and a street view of the exact area where the head-on crash occurred in the 6150 block of Old Philadelphia Pike/West Kings Highway/Route 340 in Salisbury Township on Christmas Eve

Photo Credit: Facebook/PA State Police @PAStatePolice (top overlay); Google Maps (Satellite; Street View)

The crash happened in the 6150 block of Old Philadelphia Pike/West Kings Highway/Route 340 in Salisbury Township, at 8:50 a.m. on Dec. 24, according to the state police release. 

A vehicle going east on the road "failed to maintain their lane of travel" crossing into oncoming traffic — striking a vehicle traveling west head-on, Trooper Nicholas Ferra wrote. 

The vehicle that caused the crash ended up facing south, blocking the westbound lane. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Paoli Hospital by Christiana EMS, according to Ferra. 

The vehicle that was struck, was propelled into the eastbound lanes and pushed off the roadway into the tree line. It ended up 10 yards away from the crash scene, Ferra explained. 

There were three people in the struck vehicle — all were seriously hurt, according to the PSP release. The driver, front-seat passenger, and right-rear passenger all "suffered serious bodily injury" and were taken to Lancaster General Hospital by Whitehorse EMS, Ferra said. 

The right-rear passenger was an 11-year-old girl from Cochranville, PA. She was pronounced dead in an operating room at the hospital at 10:42 a.m. on Dec. 24, according to a release by Lancaster County Coroner's Office's Deputy Chief Coroner Eric Bieber.

An autopsy was conducted on Dec. 26 and her cause of death was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries, and the manner was ruled accidental, as detailed in the coroner's release.

The roadway was closed for approximately five hours due to the crash, according to 511PA.

This is the third fatal crash that Daily Voice reported on Boxing Day. You can read about the three-vehicle crash that fatally ejected 27-year-old Karina Cruz-Camuy also in Lancaster County by clicking here. You can read about Sara Gifford, a Ph.D. student, adjunct professor, and Gettysburg College staff member, who died in a tractor-trailer crash on US Route 15, by clicking here.

Editor's Note: This article originally was published saying a woman had died in the head-on crash. Daily Voice reached out to police and the Lancaster County Coroner's office for more information. After hearing back from Deputy Chief Coroner Eric Bieber, this article was corrected to state that the victim was an 11-year-old girl.

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