The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 are closed in part of Columbia County after a deadly, fiery crash.
State police said the crash happened about 2 p.m. when a tractor-trailer rammed into the back of a broken-down sport utility vehicle. It happened on a bridge over the Susquehanna River between the Mainville/Mifflinville exit (241) and the Berwick/Lime Ridge exit (242).
According to investigators, two people were pushing the disabled SUV across the bridge as a woman was steering. The approaching tractor-trailer could not move out of the way crashed into the back of the SUV. The two people who were pushing managed to get away and were not hurt. The woman who was steering was injured. She was flown to the hospital.
Troopers said the truck driver lost control of the rig, which crashed and caught fire. Firefighters later found the driver's body inside the charred remains of the rig.
"I heard an explosion. It sounded like a truck tire blew but we couldn't tell what was going on. All of a sudden the truck was just bouncing back and forth on the bridge. I thought he was coming over the parapet onto us but he stopped up there on the fire, completely engulfed in flames at that time," said witness Mark Kauffman.
Neither of the victims have been identified.
Westbound traffic is being directed off the interstate at the Mainville/Mifflinville exit (242) to Route 339 to Mifflinville, left onto Market Street and south on Route 11 back to I-80. The traffic that is being detoured off the interstate is creating other problems in the area around the crash scene and crews on the scene said the back-up is miles long.
Route 11 was backed up for miles around 5 p.m. Traffic was bumper to bumper, sometimes coming to a complete stop for minutes at at ime.
State police said once the crash is cleared PennDOT inspectors will have to check to bridge to make sure it was not damaged by the crash or fire. Troopers said the bridge could remain closed for quite a while.
State police said the crash happened about 2 p.m. when a tractor-trailer rammed into the back of a broken-down sport utility vehicle. It happened on a bridge over the Susquehanna River between the Mainville/Mifflinville exit (241) and the Berwick/Lime Ridge exit (242).
According to investigators, two people were pushing the disabled SUV across the bridge as a woman was steering. The approaching tractor-trailer could not move out of the way crashed into the back of the SUV. The two people who were pushing managed to get away and were not hurt. The woman who was steering was injured. She was flown to the hospital.
Troopers said the truck driver lost control of the rig, which crashed and caught fire. Firefighters later found the driver's body inside the charred remains of the rig.
"I heard an explosion. It sounded like a truck tire blew but we couldn't tell what was going on. All of a sudden the truck was just bouncing back and forth on the bridge. I thought he was coming over the parapet onto us but he stopped up there on the fire, completely engulfed in flames at that time," said witness Mark Kauffman.
Neither of the victims have been identified.
Westbound traffic is being directed off the interstate at the Mainville/Mifflinville exit (242) to Route 339 to Mifflinville, left onto Market Street and south on Route 11 back to I-80. The traffic that is being detoured off the interstate is creating other problems in the area around the crash scene and crews on the scene said the back-up is miles long.
Route 11 was backed up for miles around 5 p.m. Traffic was bumper to bumper, sometimes coming to a complete stop for minutes at at ime.
State police said once the crash is cleared PennDOT inspectors will have to check to bridge to make sure it was not damaged by the crash or fire. Troopers said the bridge could remain closed for quite a while.
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