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The multiple-vehicle crashes happened on Interstate 80 West by mile marker 156 near Milesburg in Boggs Township (Centre County), according to a release by Pennsylvania State Police.
The crashes began with a collision between a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle, according to state police. The tractor-trailer went down an embankment and the car came to rest on the right shoulder. At that time, only the tractor-trailer driver had been hurt and they suffered only a minor injury, PSP explained.
A good samaritan on foot came to the scene to assist, but then a second tractor-trailer struck the passenger vehicle— fatally ejecting two of the occupants, and leaving a third fatally injured inside the vehicle, according to the release.
The good samaritan, was struck by the passenger vehicle "due to the force of the crash," troopers said. They suffered serious bodily injuries and were taken by helicopter to UPMC Altoona, PSP explained.
The second tractor-trailer went off to the left side of the road and over an embankment, injuring the driver, although the extent of those injuries is unknown, they were also taken by helicopter to UPMC Altoona, according to the police.
Within minutes of the crashes, multiple fire companies arrived on the scene. The Citizens Hook & Ladder Fire Company of Milesburg, PA arrived to find the "two tractor-trailers over the embankment and one passenger car on its roof on the roadway," as posted on Facebook.
The investigation and clean-up took hours. All lanes were fully closed from the Milesburg to Snow Shoe exits for approximately 15 hours, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Traffic was diverted off the interstate and detoured via Runville Road (state Route 144) to the Snow Shoe area. One lane reopened around 3 p.m., according to PennDOT.
The roadway fully reopened, albeit with serious backups and delays, at 4:20 p.m., according to Snow Shoe Fire Company and PennDOT.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
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