Highway crashes blamed on snow
Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 70 after a multivehicle crash Tuesday.
Photos courtesy of Anthony Fleming Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 70 after a multivehicle crash Tuesday.
Photos courtesy of Anthony Fleming Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 70 after a multivehicle crash Tuesday.
Photos courtesy of Anthony Fleming Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 70 after a multivehicle crash Tuesday.
The first real snowfall of the season resulted in multiple vehicle accidents across the region Tuesday afternoon.
State police shut down Interstate 70 in Fallowfield Township between the Centerville and Lover exits in both directions shortly after 1 p.m. because of multiple crashes in both westbound and eastbound lanes.
Fire and EMS workers worked to clear the scene but the volume of crashed vehicles caused the closure to remain through the afternoon.
“We don’t have enough tow trucks to clean it up,” said Trooper Matt Jardine.
Fallowfield fire Chief Anthony Fleming said at least 30 vehicles were involved.
“People were injured but they were all nonlife-threatening,” Fleming said.
“Several people had to be extricated from their vehicles.”
Northbound lanes of Interstate 79 were closed between the Marianna and Lone Pine exits after multiple accidents around the same time.
Both interstates reopened around 6 p.m.
“The reason we had such travel problems (at that time) … is a front came through,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Rehak. “A burst of about 2 inches in half an hour.”
Three to five inches fell across Southwestern Pennsylvania, with temperatures dropping quickly around 1 p.m. – from the lower 30s to the mid-20s. Visibility dropped to a quarter of a mile to nearly zero at the height of the storm, Rehak said.
Secondary roads were also affected by the snowfall.
Sgt. Dave Richards of North Strabane Township police said multiple accidents occurred in the township as a result of the weather, though none resulted in serious injuries.
“No major crashes,” Richards said. “Most of ours are (vehicles) sliding off the road.”
Officer Michael Dhanse said McDonald police also responded to several minor accidents, with vehicles unable to stop because of slippery roads. The department also received several calls about tractor-trailer trucks getting stuck, Dhanse said.
Rehak predicted partly sunny skies today with a high of 19 degrees.