Winds, Snow Squalls Lead to Massive Pile-Up on I-79
Photo courtesy of Photos.com.
Interstate 79 was closed for several miles in western Pennsylvania Saturday due to adverse weather conditions which caused a multi-vehicle pileup.
The initial crash was reported around 11 a.m. Saturday morning in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of the interstate and those lanes were closed for nearly 5 hours between Exit 147A and Exit 130.
The northbound lanes were also closed between Exit 130 and Exit 141.
Multiple injuries were reported, but thankfully most were minor. There were no fatalities or serious injuries reported according to the Beaver County Times newspaper.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimate that as many as 30 vehicles and multiple tractor-trailers are involved.
Officials reopened the interstate just after 4 P.M. local time. Traffic had been detoured around that section of the interstate.
AccuWeather.com Meteorologists have been tracking high winds and heavy lake-enhanced snows throughout the day.
The weather is believed to have been the cause for the accident as visibilities were significantly reduced all afternoon due to blinding snow squalls.
Blowing snow and wind gusts to 40 mph also wreaked havoc on the region.
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