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Did Signs or GPS Mistake Lead To Crash?

SHAMOKIN — Despite a tractor trailer hitting a house Thursday in Shamokin, PennDOT insists that there are enough signs telling truckers where they are sup...
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SHAMOKIN -- Despite a tractor trailer hitting a house Thursday in Shamokin, PennDOT insists that there are enough signs telling truckers where they are supposed to go.

One day after a tractor trailer hit the house at the corner of Rock and Kase Streets in Shamokin, the destruction is still visible. City officials say they aren't sure when or if the house will be torn down.

Police say the driver of the truck, Rasan Tyler-Davis of Philadelphia, had finished making a delivery in Sunbury, was following his GPS navigation device, and ended up making a wrong turn.

Police aren't sure if it was bad GPS directions or the driver not paying attention that led to the wrong turn. He then hit a fence, a stop sign, a parked car with people inside, and a house. No one was hurt.

"They usually miss this turn right here and they'll come right up the hill. They get stuck all the time at the top and then they have to be backed down constantly, 23 times a week, sometimes more," said Barb Raup.

Raup lives at the intersection where Tyler-Davis made the wrong turn. Neighbors say tractor trailers do this all the time.

"Just this week alone we had three of them go up the hill," said Elsie Adams.

Newswatch 16 decided to drive the route ourselves. You can see the signs for Route 61, but if you miss one, the narrow streets make it tough to navigate even with our small car, let alone a tractor trailer.

"I'm afraid they're going to hit our vehicles, or if my kids are out here, I'm afraid they're going to hit them. It's pretty scary, some of them coming down. They get pretty close to our vehicles," Raup said.

People who live near this intersection say they'd like to see something done to prevent something similar from happening again in the future.

"I think they could put a bigger sign up down here. There's only like maybe a 3x2 sign up on the corner. They can't see that sign," Adams said.

A representative for PennDOT says they are not considering any sign changes in this area because they feel the signs are adequate.

Police plans to charge the driver of the truck with list of violations.

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