MULTI-TRUCK ACCIDENT ALONG I-90 CLOSES INTERSTATE FOR OVER AN HOUR IN PA. PENNDOT HAS INTRODUCED A SPEED RESTRICTION OF 45 MILES PER HOUR ON INTERSTATES 90 AND 79

MULTI-TRUCK ACCIDENT ALONG I-90 CLOSES INTERSTATE FOR OVER AN HOUR IN PA.  PENNDOT HAS INTRODUCED A SPEED RESTRICTION OF 45 MILES PER HOUR ON INTERSTATES 90 AND 79

January 8th, 2015
Old Man Winter is back., and has made driving difficult in the Tri-State area.
Eastbound traffic on Interstate 90 was re-routed this afternoon after several tractor trailer trucks jackknifed.
It was just after 1:30 this afternoon when emergency crews where called to the eastbound lanes of I -90 near Route 215.
Early reports indicated that two semi tractor trailers had gone off the road, closing down both eastbound lanes.
The interstate was reopened to traffic shortly after 3 PM.
Due to this storm’s severity - PennDot has introduced a speed restriction of 45 miles per hour on Interstates 90 and 79.
PennDot says their primary goal is to keep roads passable, not completely free of ice and snow.

UPDATE: TRUCK DRIVER KILLED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA WHEN REAR-ENDED ANOTHER SEMI ON I-90 IN WINNEBAGO COUNTY

UPDATE: TRUCK DRIVER KILLED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA WHEN REAR-ENDED ANOTHER SEMI ON I-90 IN WINNEBAGO COUNTY

WINNEBAGO COUNTY (WIFR) -- The Winnebago County Coroner's Officer says 51-year-old Ronald Johnson of St. Louis, Missouri died from blunt force trauma to the chest due to the accident.

The crash happened Tuesday morning on westbound I-90 south of Harlem Road.

State police say traffic was slow in that stretch because of another crash.

Johnson could not stop in time and rear-ended a second semi and then veered into a ditch.

MACHESNEY PARK (WIFR) – A semi-truck driver from Missouri is dead after his rig collided with another semi on I-90, north of Riverside Boulevard.

The accident happened in the westbound lanes of I-90 around 9:30 Tuesday morning. State Police say traffic was slow in that stretch because of another crash. A semi driver couldn't stop in time and rear-ended a second semi. The Winnebago County Coroner says that first driver is 51-year-old Richard Johnson of St. Louis, Missouri. He died at the scene. An autopsy will be done tomorrow.

State Police say the weather and icy roads may have been a factor, although the investigation is ongoing.

GETGO GAS TANKER GOES AIRBORNE IN 3-VEHICLE CRASH ON INTERSTATE 79 NEAR THE WEXFORD INTERCHANGE

GETGO GAS TANKER GOES AIRBORNE IN 3-VEHICLE CRASH ON INTERSTATE 79 NEAR THE WEXFORD INTERCHANGE

All lanes open again following accident near Wexford; 2 children, 2 adults taken to hospitals.

FRANKLIN PARK, Pa. —A serious three-vehicle crash involving a gasoline tanker truck shut down all lanes of Interstate 79 near the Wexford interchange Wednesday morning and sent four people to the hospital, including two little girls.

A three-vehicle crash involving a GetGo gasoline tanker truck shut down all lanes of Interstate 79 near the Wexford interchange and sent four people to the hospital, including two girls.

Traffic was at a standstill while state police and emergency responders worked at the scene of the crash, which happened at 9:45 a.m. Thousands of drivers stuck in the shutdown were frustrated and had no idea how two children and three adults escaped with their lives.

"It absolutely ruined my day. I had an appointment in Evans City. I sat there for about an hour and a half," said Mark McLaughlin, of Brookline.

It was a freakish accident: A southbound sedan spun out of control, and the tanker truck hit it, then went airborne over the guiderail and careened across three northbound lanes before crashing, only to be hit by a northbound SUV driven by a woman traveling with her two small daughters in the back seat.

The gas tanker was empty and the girls, ages 5 and 19 months, were secured in their child safety seats, Trooper Robin Mungo said.

"It didn't appear as though they needed immediate medical attention, but because of the nature of the incident and because of their age, they were transported for observation," Mungo said.

Rescuers freed the girls' mother, Kelly Blais, 35, of Pittsburgh, from her damaged SUV. At the family's request, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is not releasing updates on the girls' conditions. Blais was taken to Allegheny General Hospital with minor injuries.

Trucker Bruce Crawford, 59, of Beaver Falls, was taken to UPMC Passvant Hospital with minor injuries.
The driver of the sedan, Kimberly Sperring, 52, of Mars, was not hurt and didn't have to go to the hospital.
"I'm glad nobody got (seriously) hurt, especially kids," said McLaughlin when he learned the details. "Thank goodness for that," he said.

All lanes were reopened shortly after 12:30 p.m.

"I guess the icy conditions this morning must have been really bad. We came northbound. It wasn't so bad this morning," said Chad Pennington, of Washington County, when he learned of the accident at a nearby gas station.
"It tends to freeze over, so you have to be extremely careful, even when you think the roads a clear, there's always the possibility of black ice," said Mungo.

The trooper said state police are investigating to determine if weather conditions played a role in the crash and if any drivers will be cited. Sperring told police she did not know why she lost control of her car.

POLICE: 18-WHEELER TRUCK DID NOT SLOW BEFORE ACCIDENT THAT KILLED 5 IN KANSAS CITY

POLICE: 18-WHEELER TRUCK DID NOT SLOW BEFORE ACCIDENT THAT KILLED 5 IN KANSAS CITY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An 18-wheeler that slammed into a car that had stopped or nearly stopped in a Kansas City highway traffic lane, killing the car's five occupants, didn't brake or try to avoid the crash, according to a preliminary police report.

The Dec. 27 crash on Interstate 435 killed 24-year-old Shante Hopkins, of Warrensburg, three of her young children and a 17-year-old family friend. The truck driver was not injured.

The report released Tuesday does not address whether police have determined why the car was stopped on the interstate before it was rear-ended, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/1BHyoki). Police are trying to determine whether the car ran out of gas or had a mechanical problem. A final report that includes a reconstruction of the accident has not been completed.

The truck driver, a 56-year Minnesota man, had a "straight line-of-sight" to the car and "neither adjusted his speed nor altered his course in order to avoid the collision," the report noted. The driver cooperated with police and tested negative for alcohol on a preliminary breath test. The truck was inspected and released after the accident.

One witness told police that Hopkins' Mazda was traveling at an "extremely slow speed, nearly stopped" and another driver had to swerve to avoid hitting the car.

Hopkins was driving with a revoked or suspended license, the report noted.

A spokesman for the Minnesota-based trucking company declined to comment to the newspaper because the investigation is ongoing.

U.S. Department of Transportation records show the company operates 50 trucks that traveled a combined 4.8 million miles in 2013, the newspaper reported. The company reported two injury crashes but no other fatality wrecks in the past two years and its safety violations have been considerably below the national average, according to department records.

BEING A HIGHWAY POLICE OFFICER IS A VERY DANGEROUS JOB: CONCRETE TRUCK MAKES A U-TURN AND CAUSES THE CRASH OF A SPEEDER-PURSUING SHERIFF’S MOTORCYCLE UNIT. THE OFFICER WAS INJURED.

Concrete truck makes a u-turn and causes the crash of a speeder-pursuing sheriff’s motorcycle unit.  The officer was injured.

A Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy was injured after his motorcycle unit crashed into a construction truck Wednesday, Jan. 7, it was reported.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened at 9:02 a.m. on Ynez Road near La Paz in Temecula. 

During the crash investigation, police had Ynez Road closed in both directions, but the roadway has since reopened.

According to a CHP call log, the sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries in the wreck.

Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Joseph Greco said the deputy, who was conducting traffic enforcement, was going west on Ynez, attempting to position himself behind a speeding vehicle at the time. 

The utility truck was idling on the shoulder of the roadway, facing west, when the driver suddenly pulled out to make a u-turn at the intersection, Greco said. The traffic deputy had no time to maneuver around the truck and plowed into the side of it, according to the sergeant.

He said the deputy suffered an injury to his right leg and was transported to a hospital by another deputy. 

"They were pretty upset," the witness said, who wished to remain anonymous. "A (All American Asphalt) construction truck was making a U-turn and the officer was coming down (the) center lane to catch a speeder and (the) truck driver didn't see him and turned in front of (the) officer."

A supervisor at All American Asphalt main office declined to comment on the crash.

The crash is under investigation by CHP.