It wasn’t rain or fog, not a sharp curve or a mechanical failure—just a straight, familiar stretch of Business Route 6 where a man lost his life doing nothing more than walking home. At 5:46 p.m. on a Saturday, as daylight slipped into dusk, 60-year-old Stanley Gorczyk was struck by a single vehicle near the Circle Drive-In, a spot well-known to locals. The impact left him with fatal trauma, and the Lackawanna County Coroner’s Office confirmed he was pronounced dead at the scene.
What should have been an ordinary early evening walk instead became a tragedy that now weighs heavily on the community.The timing of the crash—right at dusk, when visibility begins to shift and weekend traffic steadily increases—has raised significant concerns for investigators. Authorities are examining whether reduced lighting,
driver distraction, or speed might have contributed to the collision. State police and local officers responded quickly, immediately securing the area to ensure both safety and evidence preservation. Westbound lanes were shut down for nearly three hours as investigators mapped the roadway, documented the vehicle’s condition, and worked to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Officers placed measurement markers along the point of impact, photographed debris patterns, and examined brake impressions—or the absence of them—to determine whether the driver attempted to stop. Witnesses were interviewed on-site and later at the station, offering accounts that may help clarify critical seconds leading up to the crash.
As the investigation continues, the community is left grappling with the sudden loss of a man simply walking along a route thousands travel every week. Loved ones mourn Stanley Gorczyk while residents reflect on the fragility of life and the need for heightened vigilance on busy roadways, especially during transitional hours like dusk. Authorities urge anyone with additional information to come forward as they work toward answers in this heartbreaking case.
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