LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- What happened early Saturday morning on Interstate 81 near the Clarks Summit exit has left a young girl without a mom, a family without its patriarch, and two young children orphaned.
The father of the accused wrong way driver, Gennadiy Manannikov, wants those families to know that his is hurting too. This is mainly because of the damage Manannikov's alleged actions have caused.
The driver's father talked with Newswatch 16 off camera, and told us that his son was on a first date Friday night with a woman they hadn't met.
Her name was Ashley Wheeler, of Lackawanna County, one of the five people killed. State Police are investigating where Wheeler and Manannikov may have been before the crash. Manannikov's father says his son doesn't remember.
Gennadiy Manannikov is expected to eventually face five counts of homicide by motor vehicle.
Four victims were killed at the scene. Bhaveshkumar Patel, 42, of Scranton died Friday morning at a hospital in Scranton. His wife, Silpaben, was one of the first victims. They leave behind a three-year-old son and an infant daughter.
Of the seven people involved in the terrible wreck, only two are still living, including a woman who is still recovering from injuries and the accused wrong-way driver, Gennadiy Manannikov, recovering in a county jail cell on $500,000 bail.
Ashley Wheeler was laid to rest earlier this week in Lackawanna County. The four remaining victims will be memorialized with a public viewing Saturday morning in Scranton.