Four from Lancaster County die as motorcycles, SUV collide

Four Lancaster County residents were killed when the two motorcycles on which they were riding were struck by a sport utility vehicle Saturday in Franklin County.The crash happened just before 2 p.m. near the Maryland state line in Washington Township.Officials on Sunday identified the Lancaster County victims as David A. Russell, 67, and his wife, Michelle G. Russell, 53, both of Mount Joy; Douglas M. Hoffer Jr., 32, of Quarryville; and Colleen Nesbitt, 27, of Gap.A passenger in the SUV, 68-year-old Marjorie S. Smith of Johnstown, also was killed. The vehicle was driven by her husband, Gordon Smith, 67. He was taken to an area hospital and was listed in good condition Sunday, according to The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown.Franklin County Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner said the Smiths' Toyota SUV was northbound when it crossed the centerline and struck Hoffer's Harley-Davidson head-on, the newspaper reported. Nesbitt was a passenger on the bike.Upon impact, the Toyota spun counterclockwise and was struck broadside on the passenger door by a Suzuki motorcycle driven by David Russell. His wife also was riding on that motorcycle.Officials said they don't know why the Smiths' vehicle crossed the road and said the crash remained under investigation Sunday.Conner said all the vehicles involved were traveling under the speed limit, which is 55 mph on the straight section of road.The coroner said autopsies are set for today.Douglas Hoffer Sr., reached at his Quarryville home Sunday, declined to speak to a reporter.According to newspaper records, Nesbitt was a 2004 graduate of Pequea Valley High School, where she played field hockey and softball. She went on to play field hockey at the collegiate level as a midfielder/back at La Salle University in Philadelphia.Saturday's crash was the second-deadliest motorcycle accident involving Lancaster County residents.In June 2010, five people were killed when a Harrisburg taxi driver slammed into a pack of motorcyclists on Route 72, south of Manheim. One woman also suffered multiple broken bones but survived.