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Deadly Crash Closes Section of Interstate 80 in Clinton County

MARION TOWNSHIP, CENTRE CO. — A deadly crash in Centre County closed a section of Interstate 80 for nearly 21 hours in Clinton County. Interstate 80 eastb...

MARION TOWNSHIP, CENTRE CO. -- A deadly crash in Centre County closed a section of Interstate 80 for nearly 21 hours in Clinton County.

Interstate 80 eastbound was closed near the Clinton County/Centre County line after the crash around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Two tractor-trailer drivers were killed in a chain-reaction crash involving six rigs.

"There's one there with the cab completely ripped off, yeah, and I think it's two tractors that burned," said truck driver Norberto Perez.

The interstate was closed between the Bellefonte exit (161) and the Lamar exit (173).

State police tell Newswatch 16 two truck drivers were killed in the crash.

Here's what troopers say happened: just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, a tractor-trailer swerved off the road. Its driver was one of those killed. The truck behind that one stopped in the road which caused a chain reaction.

"This is a bad stretch of highway from Lamar all the way to Snow Shoe. This time of year, weather is bad. You never know when you are going to hit an ice patch around here. Black ice, that's what we call it," said Perez.

This stretch of the highway has been closed for so long, the Salvation Army from Lock Haven came up to make sure the truck drivers had something to eat.

Jim Gill lives in Lock Haven and helps the Salvation Army. This isn't the first crash he's seen on this road.

"It's sad. It really is. To take a life like this is nonsense when it should never have to be. First thing people are going to say is that the state has to be down here doing it, but people need to slow down too," said Gill.

The interstate reopened around 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Get real-time conditions with the WNEP Traffic Tracker.

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