College Township — A Milesburg woman died Tuesday after the SUV she was in hit a telephone pole along Benner Pike.

Centre County Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Pleskonko pronounced Susan Bartley, 43, dead at the scene. A man in the SUV was taken by ambulance to Mount Nittany Medical Center, she said. Information about his injuries and condition was not available.

While heading toward State College, the Jeep Grand Cherokee struck the pole in front of Nittany Valley Offset at about 1:30 p.m., smashing the passenger side. It was not clear why the Jeep crashed. State College police did not provide further details about the accident, which is being investigated.

An autopsy is scheduled for today, Pleskonko said.

Alpha firefighters and Centre LifeLink EMS responded to the accident. Police and fire police closed Benner Pike at the Shiloh Road intersection and rerouted northbound traffic to Interstate 99 for more than two hours.

An employee at nearby Tractor Supply Co. said staff members working inside didn’t hear the crash and were unaware of it until they heard approaching sirens.

Chris Rosenblum can be reached at 231-4620. Follow him on Twitter @CRosenblumNews