Police ID fatal crash victim
LOWER POTTSGROVE » A pedestrian that was struck and killed Thursday night has been identified by authorities.
James Slifer, 71, of Pottstown, was identified by authorities as the victim of a fatal crash Thursday night. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined that Slifer died of multiple injuries and ruled the death an accident.
Lower Pottsgrove Police said Friday that Slifer was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross East High Street Thursday night.
Police were called to the area of East High Street near Commons
Drive at 9:37 p.m. Thursday for a report of an accident. Police said when they arrived, they found a 71-yearold
man unconscious.
First responders performed CPR on Slifer and he was being transported to Reading Hospital in West Reading when police said he “coded.” He was then transported to Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, where
he was pronounced dead.
During a preliminary investigation, police determined that Slifer had been attempting to cross at the 2400 block of East High Street when he was struck by a 2006 Chevy Avalanche. Police say Slifer had been
standing on the yellow line closest to the eastbound lane as the truck was travelling eastbound. He was struck by the driver side, front corner of the vehicle.
There is no indication that the driver was speeding at the time, according
to police.
Officers say the pedestrian had been wearing all dark clothing including a navy blue shirt, blue jeans, black sneakers and no reflective gear.
Police have declined to identify the driver of the vehicle.
The road remained closed for just over two hours Thursday night as authorities investigated and cleared the scene. The Montgomery County Crash Reconstruction Team is continuing with the investigation.