The Carbon County Coroner’s office announced the identity of the man killed Friday night in a traffic accident on Route 940 within Kidder Township. Nick J. Berkheimer, identified as being 31 years old and from Hazleton, was declared deceased at 10:40 p.m. by Chief Deputy Coroner Jason T. Smith.

According to the ongoing investigation, the vehicle Mr. Berkheimer was operating departed the roadway, subsequently colliding with a tree and igniting a fire. Emergency responders were unable to successfully perform extrication procedures on the victim at the crash site.

The official cause of death has been determined as thermal burns combined with blunt force trauma. The preliminary conclusion regarding the manner of Mr. Berkheimer’s death is accidental. Both the Carbon County Coroner’s Office and the local Kidder Township Police Department are actively examining the circumstances surrounding this incident.