The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 opened just afer 9 p.m. in Columbia County after a fiery crash.
The crash that shut down the highway for more than nearly eight hours also killed the driver of a tractor-trailer. The accident happened on I-80 near Mifflinville between the Mifflinvile exit (242) and the Berwick/Lime Ridge exit (241).
Authorities identified the driver as William Marvin, 46, from Watertown, New York.
State police said a sport utility vehicle had stopped on I-80, near Mifflinville, due to a malfunction when the tractor-trailer came from behind and hit the disabled vehicle. The tractor-trailer flipped onto its side and the cab of the truck burst into flames, killing the driver.
Monday night, state police said a person inside the SUV was at the hospital, the driver of the tractor-trailer was dead after the crash and the two pedestrians were reportedly safe.
Richard Minand lives near the interstate and saw the whole thing unfold.
"I watched the SUV stop in the middle of the bridge. I saw him try to get out of the way. He hit the SUV, caught fire on the way. He lost control of it," Minand explained.
Police said the cab of the tractor-trailer was burned so badly it took roughly an hour to find the body of the driver inside.
Crews were working near the bridge when the crash happened. "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 going over the parapet onto us. Once that truck came to a stop we ran," Mark Kauffman, a crew member said.
Traffic was jammed for miles along the interstate for hours after the crash. Emergency crews were still diverting drivers off the highway hours later.
"I was in traffic for a little over two hours and I moved no more than three miles. I've been driving for five hours and haven't gotten very far," Siobahn Murry, a driver said.
The person inside the SUV, who was taken to the hospital, has been identified as Jessica Curry, of Bloomsburg. There is no word on her condition.
The crash that shut down the highway for more than nearly eight hours also killed the driver of a tractor-trailer. The accident happened on I-80 near Mifflinville between the Mifflinvile exit (242) and the Berwick/Lime Ridge exit (241).
Authorities identified the driver as William Marvin, 46, from Watertown, New York.
State police said a sport utility vehicle had stopped on I-80, near Mifflinville, due to a malfunction when the tractor-trailer came from behind and hit the disabled vehicle. The tractor-trailer flipped onto its side and the cab of the truck burst into flames, killing the driver.
Monday night, state police said a person inside the SUV was at the hospital, the driver of the tractor-trailer was dead after the crash and the two pedestrians were reportedly safe.
Richard Minand lives near the interstate and saw the whole thing unfold.
"I watched the SUV stop in the middle of the bridge. I saw him try to get out of the way. He hit the SUV, caught fire on the way. He lost control of it," Minand explained.
Police said the cab of the tractor-trailer was burned so badly it took roughly an hour to find the body of the driver inside.
Crews were working near the bridge when the crash happened. "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 going over the parapet onto us. Once that truck came to a stop we ran," Mark Kauffman, a crew member said.
Traffic was jammed for miles along the interstate for hours after the crash. Emergency crews were still diverting drivers off the highway hours later.
"I was in traffic for a little over two hours and I moved no more than three miles. I've been driving for five hours and haven't gotten very far," Siobahn Murry, a driver said.
The person inside the SUV, who was taken to the hospital, has been identified as Jessica Curry, of Bloomsburg. There is no word on her condition.
