Ashland, PA (August 10, 2026) – Three people were hurt Monday afternoon when the SUV they were riding in was rear-ended by a dump truck on East Centre Street near the Lehigh Avenue intersection, the Ashland Fire Department said.
Emergency crews were dispatched around 12:45 p.m. for a report of a crash with entrapment. The dump truck, a tri-axle traveling on Route 54, struck the rear of the SUV, pushing it into a curb. The truck came to rest against a curb of its own farther down East Centre Street.
All three occupants of the SUV were hurt. Two were taken to a landing zone at Memorial Field and flown to a hospital by helicopter, Ashland Fire Chief Charles Orth said. The third was transported by ground ambulance. Their names and conditions have not been released.
Firefighters from Ashland and Girardville responded, along with additional fire companies that assisted with the helicopter landing zones. First responders briefly closed East Centre Street to clear the wreckage, and both vehicles were towed from the scene.
Ashland Borough Police were investigating the crash as of Monday.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
A quiet afternoon drive can turn into a fight for survival in the seconds it takes a fully loaded truck to close the distance behind you. What happens next often depends less on the crash itself than on what you do in the days right after it.
Car Accidents in Pennsylvania, PA
A rear-end collision with a commercial vehicle carries higher forces and higher stakes than a typical car crash. Liability usually centers on the following driver, but the truck’s insurer will look for any argument that shifts blame back onto the car.
- See a doctor immediately, even if you feel only shaken
- Do not give a statement to the trucking company’s insurer without an attorney present
- Preserve evidence now — dispatch logs, maintenance records, and black box data are often erased within days
- Do not sign a settlement before you know the full cost of your injuries
Fault has not been officially determined. Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence rule (42 Pa.C.S. § 7102) allows recovery even if more than one party contributed to the crash. Under Pennsylvania law, injured victims generally have until August 10, 2028 – two years from the crash date to file a personal injury claim (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524).
Contact Our Pennsylvania Car Accident Attorneys
Stanley Law Offices has represented injured people across Northern Pennsylvania since 1982. Attorney Joe Stanley has been licensed to practice in Pennsylvania since 2006, is Board Certified in Civil Trial Practice by the American Board of Trial Advocates, a credential fewer than 1% of U.S. trial lawyers hold, and has been named to Super Lawyers for 18 consecutive years, 2008 through 2026.
We handle injury cases across Northern PA from our Montrose office at 22 Public Ave, Montrose, PA 18801, where our Montrose car accident lawyers take on claims against drivers of vehicles far larger than a passenger car, including commercial trucks. We investigate the crash ourselves, deal directly with the insurance company on your behalf, and take cases to trial when an insurer won’t pay fairly – a record that includes a $3.2 million jury verdict.
Evidence like dispatch logs, maintenance records, and inspection history doesn’t stay available for long, which is why acting early matters. We work on contingency, so there’s no upfront cost and nothing owed unless we recover money for you. Call (888) 997-3889 to talk with our car accident attorney.