NEW CUMBERLAND — State police said 10 people were injured in a crash involving 73 vehicles on a central Pennsylvania highway during a late winter storm over the weekend, but no life-threatening injuries were reported.
Trooper Megan Ammerman said the crash was reported shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday on PA 581 in Cumberland County.
Ammerman said 10 people sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate and were transported to hospitals for evaluation and treatment. On-scene investigators determined that about 43 of the 73 vehicle were damaged, police said. The highway was closed for about four hours during the investigation.
WHTM-TV said drivers and other witnesses reported whiteout conditions prior to the crash.
“We went under the underpass and suddenly there was a whiteout,” Jason Rosnick told the station. “I hit the brakes and suddenly I had zero traction. I got tapped from behind and hit somebody in front of me and hit the barrier, and for the next five minutes or so there was just more and more collisions.”
WCAU-TV reported that temperatures in the area ranged from the lower to mid-20s, well below freezing, with winds gusting to 30 to 40 mph (50-60 kph) resulting in reduced visibility.
Capital Area Transit buses picked up uninjured drivers and passengers and took them to the New Cumberland Borough fire department to warm up and reunite with family, WHTM-TV reported. Tow trucks were brought to the scene to assist with the cleanup.
