Coopersburg Man Flees Car Accident, Turns Himself In

A Coopersburg man turned himself in to police after fleeing the scene of an accident that sent three passengers to the hospital.

State Troopers responded to a report of a vehicle crash on Emmaus Road around 2:18am on Dec 24, 2011. When police arrived, they found a vehicle that had crashed into a utility pole with what appeared to be three passengers inside. A firearm was found in plain view on the driver’s side, police say.

Attempts to contact the owner of the firearm yielded no results.

According to the criminal complaint, troopers found Przemyslaw Sznajder, John Fisher, and a minor who claimed to be passengers in the crash. All of the individuals were found to be intoxicated and Fisher had blood covering his face, police observed.

Police also state in the complaint that when speaking with officers, Sznajder, Fisher, and the minor were "not able to identify the driver of the vehicle."

The three were transferred to Lehigh Valley Hospital on Cedar Crest. Records do not mention the extent of their injuries.

Troopers spoke with two neighbors who claimed to witness the crash, determining at least one individual had fled the scene.

Police located Mark Fisher, the individual who had fled, at his residence. Fisher was not able to identify the driver and was intoxicated, police observed.

Mark Richards, 25, appeared at the PA State Police Barracks M in Fogelsville with his attorney, confessing to being the driver of the vehicle, police say.

Richards is charged with:

• Accident Involving Death or Personal Injury
• Disregard for Traffic Lane
• Careless Driving
• Failure to Stop and Give Information/Render Aid
• Accident Involving Damage to Vehicle or Property
• Failure to Notify Police of Accident/Injury or Death
• Failure to Notify Police of Accident to Vehicle

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14.