2 Dead After Fiery Tractor Trailer Crash On I-70
DONEGAL TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A fiery crash involving four tractor trailers at a welcome center along Interstate 70 in Washington County claimed the lives of a man and woman overnight.
The accident happened on a ramp at the I-70 welcome center in Donegal.
Given the damage, state police say it will be hard to figure out what really happened, but have been able to piece together some details. Around 11:30 p.m., a truck was attempting to exit at the welcome center along the eastbound side of I-70. Another truck clipped the back of it, losing control.
"Maybe the driver was unattentive and didn't recognize how much the other vehicle had slowed down, and that's the initial impact that caused this chain reaction," said Trooper Jon Christy, of the state police.
Two parked tractor trailer rigs were also hit and damaged in the accident.
The driver of one of those tractor trailers, David, said he had just woken up and looked in the side view mirror only to find the truck heading straight for him. He said he felt lucky to be alive.
Meanwhile, authorities have not identified the man and woman who were killed in the crash, but say they were from Missouri. They were riding in the tractor trailer that crashed into the three others and then caught fire. One may have been ejected from the vehicle and the other was trapped inside.
"The guy [was] screaming in the truck, I heard him and we tried getting him out," said Greg Lagana, a truck driver. "There was nothing that we could do to get him out and when I realized that we tried to move the trucks so nothing else could catch on fire and made sure that everybody else involved was all right."
State police in Washington County are investigating the crash.
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Washington County Coroner's Office
Pennsylvania State Police
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