A chain accident involving 50 cars and one fatality in Pennsylvania left dozens of motorists stranded on the state turnpike for hours in the middle of a major snowstorm on Sunday afternoon.
A 50-car pile-up shut down the westbound section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Downingtown and Morgantown and left motorists stranded on the road for hours as the snow continued to fall, PennLive reported.
A 35-year old Pittsburgh man was involved in a one-vehicle accident while heading west when his vehicle slid and crashed just after snow started falling around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, said Carl DeFebo, turnpike spokesman. When the motorist, Andrew S. Fisher, got out of his vehicle after the accident, he was hit by another vehicle and killed, DeFebo told PennLive.
The other vehicle was bring driven by Susanne M. Case, 72, of Trenton, N.J. Police said that as Case approached the accident scene, she drove to the berm to avoid striking people standing in the road, PennLive reported.
Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene, state police at Bowmansville said.
After the initial crash, a 12-car pile-up occurred which triggered two or three more accidents, and caused a number of fender benders, DeFebo said. There was one other unknown injury, and that person was transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to PennLive.
"The accidents behind the fatality were minor in nature," he said. "It truly was like bumper cars."
State police said the 50 cars that were involved in the accidents had been pulled over to the shoulder and they estimated plow and salt trucks would be able to clear the area by evening, according to ABC station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
The westbound Turnpike was closed between Downingtown and Morgantown, with detours put in effect. The Pennsylvania Turnpike reopened at 7 p.m. Sunday from the crash, DeFebo said.
