The force of the impact overturned the car and pushed it into a tree. The car, tree, and truck rammed into a house on the corner of Laura Street, shoving the house off its foundation.

Trapped in the wreckage and miraculously still alive, was an elderly New Jersey couple, Albert and Virginia Maney. The Maneys had been house shopping in the area.

The tractor-trailer, carrying between 30 and 35 tons of coal, came to rest against the house a 220 Laura Street, owned by Harry Kanour Jr. The driver of the rig, George D. Shultz of Tyrone, sustained minor injuries in the accident.

The Hope Ambulance Service was summoned to the scene at 12:52 p.m. Jim Coble, chairman of the service, told The Progress, "I was the first one from the ambulance service down in there and I couldn't believe that they were still alive."

The first thing rescue personnel did was to find out the condition of the couple and according to Mr. Coble, "They didn't seem to be in serious condition."

Mr. and Mrs. Maney were pinned between the roof of the car and the back seat. "Anytime we tried to move anything to get at them it caused them pain." Mr. Coble said, explaining some of the difficulty personnel encountered during their four-hour effort to rescue Mr. and Mrs. Maney. "The problem with moving the stuff was that we could endanger them more."

The tree that had been standing on the corner of Laura Street providing shade for some 30 years provided a more valuable service on Saturday, according to Mr. Coble. "The tree held the car and truck up and kept them from crushing down completely." The Maney car and the tree kept the truck from ripping through the Kanour house.

Rescue personnel were faced with two alternatives-try to move the wreckage from the couple by lifting the truck off the car, or hold the truck in place and take the car apart piece by piece.

Underneath all the wreckage, Mr. and Mrs. Maney remained relatively calm. Mrs. Maney asked at one time how long it would take to get them out. But the rescue effort had to be painstakingly slow because of the precarious position of the wreckage and the two people under the twisted and bent metal. "Everything was crushed against the people." Mr. Coble said. "And the woman's arm was pinned under her husband."

Cranes from B & B Construction Company, Sankey Crane Company, and a loader from State Equipment Company, assisted at the scene.

Another problem was the power lines stretched inches from the wreckage. Jim Woods, chief of the Philipsburg Fire Department, requested Penelec to cut the power in the lines and it was left off until around 9 p.m. Saturday evening when clean-up efforts were finally completed.

The heavy equipment was used to hold the truck and cab stable while the rescue effort turned to cutting the car away from the couple.

Crowds gathered and watched as the afternoon edged away. Traffic was rerouted around the accident scene, and Dr. Conrado F. Agra assisted in providing medical care and checking on the condition of Mr. and Mrs. Maney.

Rescue crews had made little entrances into the dark pit where the man and woman lay so that they could reach in, touch an arm or leg, and finally hooked up an IV. Dr. Agra crawled in and out of the wreckage, ambulance and rescue personnel kept talking to Mr. and Mrs. Maney.

The fuel tanks had to be cut from the truck, diesel fuel was seeping down on the Maneys. The gasoline tank was also cut from what was left of the car. The Hurst Jaws of Life was a vital part of the rescue effort.

At approximately 5 p.m. the word went out to bring the ambulance to the rear of the wreckage and then Mr. Maney, 61, was gently lifted out. He was conscious. Then a few minutes later Mrs. Maney, 57, was brought from the front side of the wreckage.

Dr. Agra and a nurse, who was on the scene, left with the ambulances that transported the couple to Philipsburg State General Hospital, where they are reported in fair condition today with minor injuries.