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Investigators believe they know the name of the man killed Monday afternoon in a fiery crash on the Baltimore Pike in Washington Township.
"We have a tentative identification on the young man," York County Chief Deputy Coroner Claude Stabley said. "However, we have to confirm it."
The victim is believed to be a young adult from York County, according to Stabley, who said officials have been in touch with that man's family.
The coroner's office must confirm the man's identity through DNA.
"The body is unsuitable for any other kind of identification at this point," Stabley said, including through dental records.
He described the fire that destroyed the vehicle the man was driving as being extremely intense.
DNA test: Once the victim's DNA and sample DNA from his family are submitted to a DNA lab, it will likely take about two weeks to get results.
No autopsy will be done, he said, but it's hoped toxicology tests can be performed.
"We are making that attempt," Stabley said.
It's very likely the man died instantly from the force of the impact, before the car he was driving burst into flames with him inside, Stabley said, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
There's no way to tell if the man was wearing a seat belt, he said.
"We will release (his) identification as soon as it's confirmed and the family is notified of that," Stabley said.
What happened: The crash happened about 1:30 p.m. Monday on the Baltimore Pike (Route 194) near the Leathery Road intersection, just a few miles south of Dillsburg.
The unidentified man was driving a Toyota sedan south on the pike when he apparently lost control at a slight curve and went into the northbound lane, where he crashed into a tractor-trailer, according to Trooper Adam Reed, a state police spokesman.
The truck hit the passenger side of the car, pushing its doors almost to the middle of the car.
"The car spun as (the driver) was losing control," Reed said.
Flames: After the vehicles collided, both the car and the cab of the tractor-trailer caught fire, Reed said.
Because of extensive damage, officials initially couldn't find identifying markings, such as a vehicle identification number, on the car.
"There was a front part of the grille that had broken off during impact, so we had a decal that showed the make of the car," Stabley said; also, the force of the crash popped out a fuse box, which also confirmed the car's make.
And state police eventually found the car's VIN number, he said.
The 45-year-old Elizabethtown man who was driving the tractor-trailer was taken to Hershey Medical Center for a moderate injury and was conscious and alert at the time, Reed said.
A towing crew had to use a wrecker to separate the cab of the tractor-trailer from the car.
The charred, twisted car was hauled from the scene on a rollback tow truck. The fire was so intense it left a large black patch on the road.
Reed said wet road conditions and speed appear to be factors in the crash.
The area where the crash happened is a 45mph zone.
Baltimore Pike between Creek and Ridge roads was closed for about four hours as police investigated the crash and crews worked to clear the road.
The road was reopened to traffic about 7:30 p.m., Franklin Community Fire Chief Michael Whitzel said.
-- Staff writer Liz Evans Scolforo can also be reached at levans@yorkdispatch.com. Reach Greg Gross at ggross@yorkdispatch.com.
