Kelly Township crash kills 29-year-old Matthew Eberly, injures two

A crash on Colonel John Kelly Road in Kelly Township left 29-year-old Matthew Eberly of Lewisburg dead and two 18-year-old occupants seriously injured, state police said. Troopers pronounced Eberly, the rear passenger in a 2003 Ford Explorer, dead at the scene after the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree on the front passenger side.

Pennsylvania State Police from the Milton barracks reported the crash occurred about 8:54–8:55 p.m. Sunday in the 2800 block of Colonel John Kelly Road, west of Fenton Drive, as the Explorer was traveling west. “The driver, an 18-year-old man, failed to navigate a right-hand turn while driving west. The vehicle then veered into the oncoming lane and into an embankment on the other side of the road, striking a tree on the front passenger side before coming to a rest,” troopers said in the initial account.

State police identified the driver as Shawn R. Miller, 18, of Watsontown, and the front passenger as Greg R. Martin, 18, of Mifflinburg. Miller was transported to WellSpan Evangelical Hospital with suspected serious injuries, and Martin was taken to Geisinger Medical Center with suspected serious injuries, authorities reported. The Explorer crossed into the opposite lane, went up an embankment on the south side of the road and eventually struck a tree before coming to rest, police added.

A funeral listing for Eberly described the Lewisburg community as mourning his death and remembered him in personal terms: “Those who knew Matthew describe him as someone who valued time with loved ones and offered unwavering support to friends and family alike.” The notice said his life was cut short and that family members, friends, and neighbors are in profound grief as the community stands united in remembrance.

Tpr. Bradley Derk issued an early Monday release through the Milton barracks detailing the time and basic crash sequence, and investigators said the crash remains under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police. Authorities have not released information on seat belt use, impairment, speed, charges, or a coroner’s final determination of cause of death; those items have been left for follow-up as the investigation continues.