Deadly 7-Vehicle Crash on Center Valley Parkway After Tesla Crosses Median

A fatal multi-vehicle crash on Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township, Pennsylvania, left one driver dead and three others injured Sunday morning, according to police and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.

Authorities received the first report of the collision at 10:59 a.m. Sunday. The crash occurred around 11 a.m. in the 3300 block of Center Valley Parkway, an area between West Saucon Valley Circle and Corporate Parkway West.

Investigators say Brian McKenna, 62, was driving a 2020 Tesla westbound on Center Valley Parkway when the vehicle crossed the concrete center median into eastbound traffic. Police said the Tesla then struck several vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.

The collision set off a chain reaction that involved seven vehicles carrying a total of 10 occupants. When officers reached the location, they found five vehicles positioned within the crash scene in the area between West Saucon Valley Circle and Corporate Parkway West.

Emergency responders discovered McKenna trapped inside the Tesla. Upper Saucon Township police officers extricated him from the vehicle, but he did not survive the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

McKenna was identified as a 62-year-old from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with officials also identifying him as of Lower Saucon Township.

An autopsy was conducted on Monday by the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office. Coroner Daniel Buglio determined that McKenna died from blunt-force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled an accident.

In addition to the fatality, three other motorists were injured in the crash. Emergency medical personnel transported them to local hospitals, though their conditions were not immediately available, authorities said.

The crash led to the temporary closure of a portion of Center Valley Parkway during the morning hours while emergency crews cleared wreckage and investigators documented the scene.

The investigation involves several agencies, including the Upper Saucon Township Police Department, the Lehigh County Crash Team, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.

Investigators are reviewing witness statements, physical evidence, and information from the vehicles involved as they work to reconstruct the sequence of events that began when the Tesla crossed the center median into oncoming traffic.

After the fatal crash, Buglio and the Upper Saucon Township Police Department extended condolences to McKenna’s family and friends.