Highway Open after Fatal Fiery Wreck on I-80
Posted 6:52 am, June 28, 2016, by Raquel Ciampi and Andy Palumbo, Updated at 01:23pm, June 28, 2016
MONROE COUNTY -- At least one person is dead after a fiery crash near Tannersville involving several vehicles.
The crash happened between the Tannersville and Bartonsville exits in Monroe County Tuesday morning.
According to officials, a Schweppes tractor trailer, and three other vehicles were involved in the fatal wreck.
Authorities say the driver of a sedan crossed the media and drove west in the eastbound lanes for less than a half of a mile before hitting the tractor-trailer head-on. The driver died in that wreck.
Two other drivers were taken to hospitals. One driver was not hurt.
All lanes of Interstate 80 Eastbound near Tannersville were closed for hours.
A trucker from New Jersey was one of the first on the scene.
"I just seen a lot of smoke, a lot of fire up there, a lot of burning, a lot of rubbish, so it didn't look good," he said.
According to state police a driver traveling west crossed the grassy median and crashed after going a short distance in the wrong direction.
"When I got here, the three cars were in flames," said truck driver Ed Behrman. "Couple drivers were over there trying to put it out but our fire extinguishers were way too small to put the fire out."
Traffic on Route 611 crawled as drivers were detoured off Interstate 80.
Kathy Adams left a car shop in East Stroudsburg and fought traffic to get back to work.
"I know lots of the side roads," she laughed. "I'll either take a side road or listen to my radio and relax on my way back."
Crews spent the morning clearing the wrecked vehicles and cleaning up spilled fuel.
Interstate 80 east reopened after 1 p.m.