Police change ruling on East Falls Street wreck

New Castle police changed their determination of which driver caused a March 9 accident at the intersection of East Falls and North Mill streets.

The 1:30 p.m. collision knocked down a metal power pole and sent traffic light signals crashing to the ground.

Police reported a New Castle Area Transit Authority bus was traveling in that area when the accident occurred had a dashboard camera recording footage of the wreck.

An amended report issued by the city police states Jamie Lyons, 44, of Warren Avenue, who was driving a blue Lincoln Navigator, had a green signal and was going east on East Falls Street.

A white Lincoln MKX driven by Carl R. Chiafullo of Boyd School Road, Shenango Township, proceeded through a red signal going north on North Mill Street, and was hit by Lyons’ vehicle, police reported.

Both drivers suffered injury in the head-on collision, and New Castle Fire Department members had to remove them from their vehicles. Both were transported to hospitals.

A four-way stop sign intersection has since been posted there to control traffic until a new pole and lights can be put up.

Earlier this week, Penn Power put up a wooden pole to replace the metal one, but another accident that occurred Tuesday caused that pole to break off from the top, according to police.

According to a separate police report for that accident, Constance E. Budai, 82, of Ellwood Road, Shenango Township, was driving a Cadillac CTS north on Mill Street around 8:50 a.m. when she went through the four-way stop sign without stopping.

Her car hit a Volkswagen Rabbit driven by Monica Hernandez Ramos, 37, of Halco Drive who was eastbound on Falls Street.

Budai’s air bag deployed from the impact and her vehicle then hit the power pole, causing it to break off, the police reported. She suffered suspected minor injury and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. Her car was towed.

Hernandez Ramos and her two passengers escaped injury. Her car was driven from the scene.