One killed, another critical in early morning crash in upper darby

[TowZone]

UPPER DARBY >> A 46-year-old Havertown man was killed and his passenger is in critical condition after the car in which they were riding hit a tow truck in the area of Lansdowne Avenue and Township Line Road early Saturday morning, according to police.

Upper Darby Police Supt. Michael Chitwood identified the deceased as Paul McCullough of the 200 block of Hill Road, and his passenger as Courtney Spenilli, 36, of the same address.

Chitwood said McCullough was driving a 1999 Toyota west on Lansdowne Avenue around 1:20 a.m. Saturday. The accident shut down Township Line Road for more than four hours. It finally reopened about 6 a.m.

 

“And they broadsided a AAA tow truck traveling north on Township Line,” he said. “Apparently, he had the green light. Preliminarily, the Toyota may have gone through a red light ... It hits (the truck) and then spins him around.”

Chitwood said the truck driver, a 37-year-old Philadelphia man was not injured and has been cooperative with police. “The tow truck driver walked away unharmed at this point in time,” the superintendent said.

McCullough and Spenilli, he said, “both had to be extricated out of the car by the department.”

 

Chitwood said McCullough died at the accident scene and Spenilli was taken to Lankenau Hospital where she was in critical condition.

“It’s very, very early into the investigation,” he said Saturday afternoon. “Right now, it’s under investigation. Both vehicles were severely damaged.”

Chitwood said police are determining what the conditions of the roadway were at the time of the accident, the temperatures and wind chill as well as results of a toxicology report.

The accident caused the area of the intersection to be closed for hours. It opened to traffic fully around 6 a.m.

 

RESOURCE LINK