Community Corner
Ambler Man Killed in Saturday Morning Crash
The Horsham wreck kills two and injures three.
An Ambler man was killed in an early morning two-car crash in Horsham Township today, according to a news release issued by the Montgomery County District Attorney's office late this morning.
Robert Walker Nagle, 19, was found dead at the scene of the crash off Witmer Road in Horsham. Also killed was Edward Taylor Coombs, 19, of Horsham.
A preliminary investigation has determined that Coombs and Nagle were passengers in a 2007 Honda Civic driven by Connor McNicholas, 19, also of Ambler. McNicholas and two others received treatment at Abington Memorial Hospital for "non-life-threatening" injuries, the district attorney's office said.
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The vehicle was traveling westbound on Witmer Road at about 1 a.m. It appears that McNicholas lost control of the car while navigating a bend in the road shortly before Witmer Road intersects with Norristown Road.
The car first crossed into the eastbound lane of Witmer Road, left the roadway, traveled across a property on the south side of Wade Avenue, crossed Wade Avenue itself, and continued onto the property of a residence at 600 Wade Ave. The vehicle reportedly traveled more than 400 feet and struck several trees before coming to rest.
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Police have learned that all occupants of the vehicle had just left a party where they were consuming "beer and/or mixed drinks," the district attorney's office said.
One of the surviving occupants of the vehicle reportedly told authorities that the Civic's speedometer displayed a speed of 99 mph immediately before the crash.
Authorities continue to investigate the crash. The district attorney's office said a sample of McNicholas's blood will be subjected to laboratory analysis and that police will attempt to reconstruct the crash.
The investigation will include an autopsy, though the district attorney's office did not specify whether both deceased victims would be autopsied.
One of the deceased was traveling in the front passenger seat, and the other was in the back seat, according to Lt. Jon Clark of the Horsham Police Department. It was not immediately clear which man was in which seat.
Anyone with any information pertinent to the investigation is asked to contact Horsham Police or the Montgomery County Detectives.
Hatboro-Horsham Patch editor Theresa Katalinas contributed to this report.
