Car Carrier Crash Shuts Down Part Of I-70 After Winter Storm
BELLE VERNON (KDKA) – Part of Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County was closed after a car carrier tractor-trailer crashed and jackknifed Saturday morning.
According to police, the tractor-trailer was hauling other vehicles when it crashed near the Belle Vernon exit around 6:30 a.m.
As a result of the crash, both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane were closed in the area. All lanes were reopened around 11:45 a.m.
"I came around the corner and there was some cars, had already stopped. I thought it was the cars that had spun out and I hit the left lane and all of a sudden I see this truck," Roger Hammack said.
Crews had to call in an extra tow truck to try to lift the twisted carrier upright. State Police said the driver was most likely going too fast in the middle of the snowstorm.
While crews tried to clear the accident, it left many other drivers at a complete standstill for hours.
Stuck in traffic for around four hours, dozens of trucks waited for the accident to clear as eastbound lanes remained closed.
The driver was shaken, but alert and was transported to Mon Valley Hospital. He told another driver he was going about 45 miles per hour and started to fishtail while going up a hill.
Traffic was backed up for roughly one mile.
PennDOT was out early trying to prevent similar accidents.
It was a tough task as snow continued to fall into early morning.
In McCandless, the first decent snow fall of the season also created slick, snowy streets and had overnight shift workers taking it easy on the roads until crews could make their rounds.
"It's not good for anyone to be out on the roads. I deliver newspapers on one of these secondary roads and they have not even been touched yet," Jim Flatley said.
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