Bear Creek man charged with fleeing crash that injured woman

LAUREL RUN — A man from Bear Creek Township was charged as a habitual offender for fleeing a crash that seriously injured a woman in January.

State police at Wilkes-Barre charged Terry L. Schatzel, 28, of Settlement Road, operating a Chevrolet Cavalier, with colliding the rear of a Hyundai Elantra that had slowed to turn into a driveway of a home on Laurel Run Road on Jan. 26, according to court records.

The woman driver of the Hyundai suffered a broken collar bone in five places that required surgery and five broken ribs, state police said.

Immediately after the crash, Schatzel and a passenger abandoned their wrecked Chevrolet but the passenger returned to the scene, court records say.

The woman’s husband who witnessed the crash identified Schatzel as the driver.

Schatzel initially denied he was driving the Chevrolet telling state police his friend was the driver. Schatzel claimed he was drinking prior to the crash, court records say.

State police said Schatzel was arrested and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police on March 23.

During a jailhouse interview on Monday, Schatzel admitted he was the driver when he crashed into the Hyundai when he attempted to make a pass, court records say.

Schatzel was arraigned Wednesday by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Central Court on two counts of accidents involving death or person injury and one count each of accidents involving damage to attended vehicle, habitual offender, failure to stop and render aid, failed to report an accident to police, driving with a suspended license, operating a vehicle without insurance, providing false information and illegal lane change. He remained jailed without bail on the latest charges as Whittaker deemed him a flight risk.