The northbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike closed Friday afternoon after a truck crashed into an overhead sign at the Wyoming Valley Interchange near Dupont.
The northbound lanes of the turnpike are closed between the Pocono and Wyoming Valley interchanges. Traffic is being detoured off the turnpike at Pocono.
Police said the driver told them he was coughing and hit the overhead sign at the toll booth. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said a tractor-trailer then crashed into a barrier, hit an overhead sign and crashed through the gate at the toll booths.
Part of the huge steel sign hit the sport utility vehicle in which Jerry Garnett was riding.
"Lot of stuff falling onto the car. It was pretty scary seeing the fuel coming up on the car. I just got out of the car when it was over. I'm just happy to be alive," Garnett said.
His friend, Lindsay Welch, was driving the SUV.
"Very scary, very scary. The E-ZPass sign fell down on the back of the vehicle and crushed the back of it," Welch recounted.
A woman was in the lane next to the tractor-trailer was getting ready to pay her toll when she heard a crash.
"I looked that way, saw a truck had run into a sign and was taking out the barriers. I just pulled forward because I didn't want to blow up," said Nyanda Finley Desantos.
Traffic backed up for miles behind the accident.
There is no word on the condition of the truck driver. A spokesperson with the turnpike commission said he was taken to the hospital.
There is no word when the northbound lanes will open. Traffic is being detoured at the Pocono Interchange, then on to Interstate 80 west for 16 miles, to Interstate 81 north for 26 miles then to Route 315 for five miles where the turnpike can be accessed at the Wyoming Valley Interchange.
There is no word how long the northbound lanes will be closed.
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Police said the driver told them he was coughing and hit the overhead sign at the toll booth. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said a tractor-trailer then crashed into a barrier, hit an overhead sign and crashed through the gate at the toll booths.
Part of the huge steel sign hit the sport utility vehicle in which Jerry Garnett was riding.
"Lot of stuff falling onto the car. It was pretty scary seeing the fuel coming up on the car. I just got out of the car when it was over. I'm just happy to be alive," Garnett said.
His friend, Lindsay Welch, was driving the SUV.
"Very scary, very scary. The E-ZPass sign fell down on the back of the vehicle and crushed the back of it," Welch recounted.
A woman was in the lane next to the tractor-trailer was getting ready to pay her toll when she heard a crash.
"I looked that way, saw a truck had run into a sign and was taking out the barriers. I just pulled forward because I didn't want to blow up," said Nyanda Finley Desantos.
Traffic backed up for miles behind the accident.
There is no word on the condition of the truck driver. A spokesperson with the turnpike commission said he was taken to the hospital.
There is no word when the northbound lanes will open. Traffic is being detoured at the Pocono Interchange, then on to Interstate 80 west for 16 miles, to Interstate 81 north for 26 miles then to Route 315 for five miles where the turnpike can be accessed at the Wyoming Valley Interchange.
There is no word how long the northbound lanes will be closed.
