A 66-year-old Newmanstown man is dead after his electric bicycle struck a guardrail while he was riding downhill in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County, late last Friday night. Donald Brightbill was pronounced dead at the hospital following the crash, which state police say unfolded near the intersection of North Sheridan Avenue and Fort Zellers Road.
According to WGAL, troopers said Brightbill was riding east on North Sheridan Avenue while descending a hill when his e-bike entered a slight depression between the road and the guardrail. The collision happened around 9:16 p.m. on October 23, troopers said. DailyVoice reported that Pennsylvania State Police were dispatched to that intersection at approximately the same time.
Notably, PennLive identified the roadway as North Sheridan Road rather than North Sheridan Avenue, a discrepancy between the two outlets' accounts that has not been resolved. PennLive's report, citing the same crash, said Brightbill crashed into the guardrail and continued traveling alongside it before striking the end of the rail, which caused him and the bicycle to fall onto their left sides.
Emergency Crews Respond to the Scene
Brightbill was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the station's report said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The Newmanstown Volunteer Fire Company Ambulance Corps transported Brightbill, while Newmanstown EMS, firefighters and the Lebanon County Coroner's Office all assisted state police at the scene, per the same account.
Details about Brightbill's life were not immediately available, and no information about helmet use, the bicycle's speed or any citation issued in connection with the crash has been released.
E-Bike Deaths Climbing Statewide
Brightbill's death adds to a trend that has drawn growing attention from Pennsylvania transportation officials. As reported by NBC10 Philadelphia, PennDOT data show e-bike rider injuries increased 40% statewide from 2024 to 2025, while fatalities among e-bike riders rose from two in 2024 to 12 in 2025.
The increase has coincided with rising e-bike ownership across the state, and separate reporting has documented other fatal e-bike crashes involving Pennsylvania riders, including a 14-year-old Bellwood-Antis School District student killed in a crash in Blair County, according to CBS Pittsburgh. No further details about Brightbill's crash, including the cause or manner of death beyond his being pronounced dead at the hospital, have been independently verified.
