Monday 15 February 2016

3 killed in Pennsylvania pileup involving 50 vehicles


A pileup involving dozens of vehicles on a Pennsylvania interstate that killed three people and sent dozens to hospitals appears to have been related to a passing snow squall, authorities said Saturday. Trooper Justin Summa said three fatalities had been confirmed following the 9:45 a.m. Saturday crash which involved at least 50 commercial and private vehicles. Police said more than 40 people were transported to several hospitals following the crash in Interstate 78 in Bethel Township. The pileup left tractor-trailers, box trucks and cars tangled together across three traffic lanes and into the snow-covered median about 120 kilometers northwest of Philadelphia.



PennLive.com reported that some witnesses reported sudden whiteout conditions on the interstate before the crash.
"It just turned real white," Raul Jardine of Allentown said, adding that all he could see were the brake lights of the car in front of him, so he slowed down and was hit from behind.
Nearby resident James Steffy told WHP-TV that the crash "sounded like two bombs went off."
"We thought it was thunderclouds, and my wife ran up over the hill and saw the accident," he said.

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