Driving on icy roads is something you cannot always avoid during these Pennsylvania winters, but it also massively increases the risks motorists face. This became only too clear recently when icy conditions led to a massive, multi-vehicle crash near the border with New York. It happened on I-90, in the eastbound lanes.
The crash occurred on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. It is unclear exactly when the wreck began, but it happened sometime in the early morning hours. By 7:28 a.m., the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) had responded to the accident scene and shut down the eastbound lanes entirely. They kept them closed for more than an hour while they cleaned up the crash site, finally getting things moving again around 9 a.m.
It was the state police who blamed icy conditions for the wreck. Pictures and videos from the scene show police vehicles sitting with their lights on near semitrucks, some of which had jackknifed. One truck is sitting far off to the side of the highway, half-buried in the trees. Another truck with multiple trailers sits sideways, blocking the entire road. Further past the initial crash site, another semi appears to have rolled on its side.
It was not just semitrucks that lost control on the ice, though. Photos also show what appears to be a dark-colored Kia minivan, typically a family car. Reports do mention multiple injuries, though the exact number of injured is unclear.
This crash is just one example of the chaos ice on the roads can cause. Those who get injured must know all of the rights they have to seek financial compensation.