A 28-year-old Quakertown man was killed in a car accident involving a Lehigh Athletics bus around 5:40 p.m. on Oct. 27.
Rodney Dale Sigley, Jr., was driving the vehicle that hit the bus carrying 18 members of the Lehigh men’s and women’s rowing teams. The bus was traveling westbound on U.S. Route 22 when Sigley’s Acura CL struck it, causing it to turn over on its roof. Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim was called to the scene to investigate the fatality.
Eyewitness reports suggest the car was traveling at a high speed and was attempting to avoid being pulled over when it hit the bus, but the Pennsylvania State Police are still investigating this claim.
All students involved in the accident were sent to local hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, according to an email from Lehigh University Communications. Students were being evaluated at at least two of Lehigh Valley’s hospitals, including Muhlenberg and Cedar Crest, a hospital official said. Bob Bruneio, the manager of Lehigh Transportation Services, said the bus driver was also being treated at Cedar Crest.
At approximately 12:06 a.m. on Oct. 28, the university’s Dean of Students Twitter account announced that all 18 students and the bus driver, Terry Wayne Johnson, had been discharged from their respective hospitals.
A Lehigh bus arrives at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Muhlenberg to transport injured students back to Lehigh as they were released from the hospital on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015.
Members of Lehigh’s Dean of Students Office were assisting students at Cedar Crest Hospital. Another Lehigh bus was transporting students back to the university as they were released from the hospital. Vice Provost John Smeaton said he was in contact with families of the students involved and would be providing medical and emotional support to everyone involved, according to Lori Friedman, the director of Lehigh media relations.
Rowing coach Brian Conley did not give comment about the accident and asked team members to keep the situation private.
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