The woman driver of a car died in an explosive crash early Friday when the vehicle crashed through the storefront of a pool supply store along Route 309 in Bucks County.
The driver, 32-year-old Quissy Hall, of Pennsburg, died of complications of chemical burns and fire from the crash, the Bucks County coroner confirmed Friday evening.
The car crossed three lanes of the road and into the front of Pool Pro in the 1600 block of North West End Boulevard, just south of Coopersburg about 1:30 a.m., emergency officials said. The crash happened about 11 miles from the driver's home.
Six people who lived in apartments above the business escaped before the flames spread. They wandered around as between 75 and 100 firefighters battled the blaze for a few hours.
The cause of the crash in Richland Township was not known, but the coroner said he was looking into whether Hall fell asleep at the wheel.
The vehicle was destroyed in a fire that erupted after the crash, with more than 70 firefighters from Pennsylvania and New Jersey helping to extinguish the flames. Hazmat officials also chipped in as chemicals inside the store may have contributed to the initial intensity of the blaze.
The fire was under control by about 4:30, a fire official said.
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State police continued to investigate while officials await toxicology results.
