Sen. James Rhoades Dies After Crash
Oct 18, 2008 04:47 PM EDT / http://www.wnep.com
State Senator James Rhoades has died from injuries suffered Friday evening in a crash in Monroe County. The three-vehicle wreck also injured two other people, including the senator’s wife, Mary.
Rhoades, of Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County, had represented the 29th State Senate district since 1981. The district includes all of Schuylkill County along with parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.
Rhoades, 66, was a Republican and chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He was running for his eighth term against P.J. Symons, a Democrat, and Dennis Baylor. A spokesman for Senate Republicans says that court permission is needed for the party to replace Rhoades on the ballot.
According to state police, the crash happened just after 7:30 p.m. Friday along Route 209 near Brodheadsville. Troopers say Rhoades and his wife were in a car that collided with a pick-up truck. The impact sent the Rhoades’ vehicle into a minivan that had pulled off onto the side of the road.
The two people in the minivan were not hurt. Senator Rhoades, his wife and the driver of the pickup, Thomas Senavitis of Albrightsville, were flown to the hospital. Rhoades passed away on Saturday. Troopers say Mary Rhoades and Senavitis are recovering.
In a statement, Governor Ed Rendell called Sen. Rhoades’ death a tremendous loss for Pennsylvania. “No one cared about advancing education in Pennsylvania more than Jim,” Gov. Rendell said.
Sen. Bob Mellow a Democrat from Lackawanna County, also praised Sen. Rhoades. In a written statement, Mellow said, “Jim could go from sharing a good story about football in the coal region to offering his extensive knowledge on education and energy. His range of experience and wisdom was a resource that benefitted all Senators.”
State police continue to investigate the crash.
Any idea why the troopers told the news the crash happened at 7:30pm, when the police reports say it happened at 6:35pm?