2 Tractor-Trailers Collide, 1 Lane Of I-80 Closed
CLINTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – A tractor-trailer accident caused some backups along Interstate 80 in Venango County early Wednesday morning.
According to officials at the scene, the accident happened on the westbound side of the road around 1:30 a.m. in Clinton Township.
Clintonville Fire Chief Gerry Rea said one of the tractor-trailer drivers swerved to avoid hitting a deer.
He lost control and his trailer flipped onto its side.
The other driver was unable to stop in time and drove right through the flipped over trailer.
"If he would have been down, went to the right probably about three feet, he would have probably hit the tractor itself and then there probably would have been fatalities on that. Being that he went through the trailer, that's probably what saved both their lives," Rea said.
Boxes and the mangled tractor-trailers covered both westbound lanes of the interstate, which forced police to block off traffic.
Drivers were diverted right at the Clintonville Interchange.
"From what it appeared, it was all Sears and Kmart stuff in the first one that started it all. Everything from a refrigerator freezer to a hot water tank to a grass catcher to a weed whacker to a vacuum sweeper. So, it was a lot of everything," Rea said.
Cleanup took hours and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
"The driver of the tractor that went through the trailer, they transported him to the hospital with a laceration on his forehead. Other than that, he seemed to be ok. The other driver refused treatment," Rea said.
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