Vehicle flips onto side in Penn Forest crash

A Jim Thorpe man escaped injuries in a one-vehicle crash at 9:30 a.m. Friday on Route 903 in Penn Forest Township, about 837 feet south of the Maury Road, according to state police at the Lehighton barracks.

Police said Vincent P. Rodgers, 54, the driver, will be cited for failure to drive at a safe speed.

Police said he was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Express on Route 903 during a period in which heavy fog blanketed the area. Police said the vehicle, a small box truck, was northbound when traffic was backed up due to a separate crash at the intersection of Route 903 and Maury Road.

Police said Rodgers was unable to see the stopped traffic due to the fog, and he slammed on the brakes, causing the vehicle to swerve toward the south shoulder as the driver tried to avoid hitting the stopped traffic.

Police said the vehicle entered a field off the south shoulder, encountered a small ditch and flipped onto the driver's side before coming to rest in that position.

Police said the vehicle was flipped back onto its wheels and was towed from the scene, although police said it sustained minor damages and was drivable.