Sunday, July 5, 2015

Truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, causes several injuries, fuel spill, massive crash, delays on I-95 in Delaware County

I-95 reopened after crash causes massive delays

An accident has shut down I-95 northbound nearing the I-476 exchange, leading to backups all the way south to the Delaware border.
An accident has shut down I-95 northbound nearing the I-476 exchange, leading to backups all the way south to the Delaware border. PennDOT
A crash on Interstate 95 in Delaware County caused major traffic problems south of Philadelphia Sunday.

The accident involving a tractor trailer and two other vehicles occurred on I-95 north, near the Blue Route, around 9:30 a.m. 


According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the truck's fuel tank was damaged during the wreck, causing fuel to spill onto the highway.

The state police said the truck driver, Leroy Devauly, 57, of Pomeroy, Pa., fell asleep at the wheel and collided with a barrier near the off-ramp to Interstate 476, causing the other two vehicles to crash as well. State police said charges will be filed against Devauly in Delaware County.

The driver and passenger of in a second vehicle involved in the crash, as well as the driver of the third vehicle, were transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Delaware County with non-lifethreatening injuries, according to state police. The three injured were Shanika Simpson, 31, and Andre Williams, 25, both of Wilmington, as well as Cole O'Brien, 60, of Boothwyn.

With northbound traffic completely stopped for more than five hours, cars backed up to the Delaware state line. At about 4 p.m., one lane was reopened. All lanes were re-opened by 6:35 p.m.

State police said a company working through Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was at the scene cleaning up the spilled fuel.

Source:  http://www.philly.com