Investigation into Annette Kostelnick’s death enters third week; sister remains hospitalized as experts point to federal safety gaps

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The November 20 crash that killed 57-year-old Annette Kostelnick and critically injured her sister has drawn renewed attention to a deadly but often overlooked highway hazard: truck underride collisions.

First responders found Kostelnick’s Chevrolet Trailblazer wedged beneath a parked tractor-trailer at the Lion Brewery complex on North Pennsylvania Avenue, its front end crushed after sliding under the rig’s rear undercarriage. Both sisters were trapped and unresponsive. Kostelnick was pronounced dead at the scene; her 55-year-old sister was rushed to Geisinger Wyoming Valley, where she remains in undisclosed condition.

A Known but Underreported Hazard

The crash fits the profile of what safety experts call an underride collision—when a passenger vehicle slides beneath a commercial trailer, often shearing off the roof and crushing the cabin. A Government Accountability Office investigation found these crashes are significantly underreported nationwide, and that federal regulations don’t require underride guards to be inspected during routine commercial vehicle checks. Damaged or weakened guards can remain on the road indefinitely.

Wilkes-Barre police haven’t released new findings, and the central question remains unanswered: what caused Kostelnick to veer into a stationary trailer parked behind one of the region’s most iconic breweries?

Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage from North Pennsylvania Avenue businesses and interviewing witnesses. The Luzerne County Coroner’s Office has scheduled an autopsy to determine whether a sudden medical emergency—cardiac event, stroke, or seizure—incapacitated Kostelnick before impact. Toxicology results, which could reveal whether drugs or alcohol played a role, typically take four to six weeks.

Broader Traffic Safety Concerns

The tragedy arrives as Wilkes-Barre grapples with broader traffic safety concerns. City Council has spent much of 2025 debating speeding complaints, distracted driving, and e-bikes weaving through traffic—but officials acknowledge their hands are tied. Pennsylvania still prohibits municipal police from using radar, a restriction safety advocates say cripples local enforcement on roads where speed-related crashes claim lives.

“We need radar for municipal police. It has to happen. It’s 2025, and we’re still fighting this very same battle,” Councilman Bill Barrett said at a spring meeting.

State data shows Pennsylvania’s 2024 traffic deaths dropped to 1,127—the second-lowest since 1928—but intersection fatalities bucked the trend, climbing from 301 to 321.

Federal Guard Standards Fall Short

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested trailer underride guards since 2011, finding many fail in offset crashes. The Biden administration strengthened rear guard standards in 2022, but older trailers may still carry inadequate equipment—and no inspection protocol exists to catch guards that have been damaged or degraded.

The crash occurred around 3:25 p.m. at the 700 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue, home to the Lion Brewery, a heritage operation producing beer since 1905. Commercial trailers routinely park in storage areas near the facility’s loading docks.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or saw the blue Trailblazer before impact should contact Wilkes-Barre police at 570-208-4200.

This is a developing story. Updates will follow as investigation findings become available.