Crime & Safety

First Student Inc.: Kelly Quier was a 'Well-Respected Member of Our Team'

Kelly Quier, the driver killed in Tuesday's crash in Upper Nazareth, was employed by First Student Inc. since November 2004.

In a statement to Patch, First Student Inc. confirmed that a company van was involved in a Tuesday that killed driver Kelly Quier, 42, of Walnutport, and injured two others.

“Sadly, our driver has passed away and our hearts go out to the driver’s family and friends at this difficult time,” said Timothy Stokes, a spokesman for First Student.

According to Stokes, Quier was a driver for First Student since November 2004 and “was a well-respected member of our team.”

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Records show Quier had no major driving violations prior to Tuesday’s crash. Stokes added that Quier was not involved in any accidents while she was a driver for First Student. 

“Local law enforcement is conducting a full investigation and [First Student] will continue to assist them as they work to gather further information,” Stokes said.

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A reconstruction of the scene was planned for Wednesday morning but has been pushed back to Thursday morning, according to Alan Siegfried, chief of .

Siegfried said an additional member of the state police at Belfast accident reconstruction team was needed to assist in the scene reconstruction, but was not available the morning after Tuesday's crash.

Quier was driving a First Student van on Newburg Road when, for unknown reasons, she crossed the center line and collided with a recreational vehicle. Richard Street, 71, of Palmer Township, was the driver of the RV, according to Siegfried.

"It's pretty clear the van crossed the center line, but the why, we may never know," Siegfried said. "It may turn out that a medical event happened with the driver [of the First Student van], but we just don’t know at this point. The why -- we may or may never know."

Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek is expected to release more information on the cause and manner of Quier's death later today.

One student, who attends school in the Northampton Area School District, was being transported at the time of the crash. Siegfried declined to give any additional details on the student.

The student was taken to in Fountain Hill, as was Street.

Street remains hospitalized at St. Luke's as of 12:27 p.m. Wednesday, but no information on his condition was available. 

The extent of the student's injuries and whether he or she remains hospitalized is also unknown.

A message seeking comment from Joseph Kovalchik, the Northampton Area School District superintendent, was left with his secretary, but Kovalchik has yet to respond. No information regarding the accident has been published on the school's website.


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