According
to PA state police, a heavy snow squall caused whiteout conditions, covering the
road surface. Twenty-six vehicles were involved in 11 separate crash scenes
within a 3-mile stretch of road.
February
12, 2015
WALKER
TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA:
Interstate 80 westbound was shut down between Lock
Haven and Milesburg for about two hours Thursday because of a multivehicle
accident near mile marker 164, PennDOT spokeswoman Marla Fannin said.
Eastbound
traffic was restricted to one lane but, by about 2 p.m., the eastbound lanes
were open and westbound traffic was restricted to one lane. All lanes are now
open.
A
witness at the scene said a snow squall caused the chain-reaction crash.
Undine
Fire Company Chief Jim Pressler said there were no reports of significant
injuries, but people were taken to regional hospitals with minor injuries, he
said.
Emergency
personnel had no access to the accidents along the westbound route and had to
cross over, Pressler said, traveling eastbound and discovered the westbound
lane had been completely blocked by a tractor-trailer.
According
to state police, a heavy snow squall caused whiteout conditions, covering the
road surface. Twenty-six vehicles were involved in 11 separate crash scenes
within a 3-mile stretch of road.
Sam
Coefer Jr., of Watauga, Tenn., said he was driving his tractor-trailer west
along the interstate when he heard other drivers “literally screaming” on the
CB radio that an accident had occurred close to mile marker 162.
Another
driver said he had hit a car, Coefer said.
“It
was a pure whiteout,” he said. “You see it on TV, but you never expect to be in
one.”
Phil
McAfee, of Unionville, said whiteout conditions made the road extremely slick.
A passing truck caused the accident, he said, which caused additional accidents
as everyone slowed down behind it.
McAfee’s
truck was rear-ended by another vehicle, he said, which knocked his small
tractor from its trailer.
“It
was all over in a couple seconds,” he said.
