Woman injured in 5-vehicle pileup in I-70 in Hempfield

A woman was injured in a five-vehicle crash in a construction zone on Interstate 70 in Hempfield, according to an official with the Hempfield Fire Department.

The crash involved two tractor-trailers, a tri-axle truck and two passenger vehicles. It was reported just after 5 p.m., according to Westmoreland County 911.

An ambulance took the woman to the hospital.

I-70 westbound was shut down near the Madison exit (Exit 54) until just after 6:20 p.m.

State police are investigating the cause of the crash.

“The big challenge was that it was within the construction zone, so there was limited access,” said Hempfield Assistant Fire Chief John Storey Jr.

First responders struggled to get through traffic, quickly opting to drive the wrong way on the interstate to reach the scene, Storey said.

He said it’s important for drivers to remember to move over when driving past emergency scenes in order to protect victims and first responders, but acknowledged the circumstances of this crash made that difficult.

“This was tough,” he said. “It’s not like there was a lot of area for people to move over because it was a construction zone.”