Crime & Safety

Bath Man Charged in Lower Nazareth Double-Fatal Crash

Lester Smith, 51, was charged Nov. 9 in the head-on collision on Hanoverville Road that killed a Bethlehem mother and son, according to court records.

The lone survivor in a September double-fatal crash in Lower Nazareth Township has been charged with two counts of careless driving, according to court records.

Lester Smith, 51, of Bath was charged Nov. 9 in the head-on collision on Hanoverville Road that killed Gertrude Babin, 88, and her son, Clifford Babin Jr., 67. Both were from Bethlehem.

Colonial Regional Police Chief Roy Seiple said a dog traveling with Smith also died.

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The summary charges, filed by Sgt. John Harmon with Colonial Regional Police, include careless driving - unintentional death and disregarding a traffic lane, court records say.

The Northampton County coroner was called to the scene of a rollover accident in front of 4519 Hanoverville Road -- Hecktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps headquarters -- around 10 a.m. Sept. 5.

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According to a Breaking News Network alert, three victims were trapped and one was unconscious when the first 911 call came in. At 10 a.m., the commanding officer for Hecktown Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 requested the coroner.

Clifford Babin Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. at St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, according to the Lehigh County coroner.

Smith suffered minor to moderate injuries, Seiple said.

Hanoverville Road was closed between Route 191 and Georgetown Road, which is just before Dutch Springs.

Gertrude Babin had five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, according to her obituary. She worked as a seamstress for the former Josette Manufacturing and was a member of the Ladies Garment Association.

Her son was a retired Bethlehem Steel crane operator, according to his obituary. At the time of his death, Clifford Babin Jr. owned and operated Cliffs Rollback Service.

He and his wife, Meredith, had three sons, a daughter and four grandchildren.


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