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Icy Weather Causes Crashes In Central Pennsylvania

Posted on Jan 22, 2013

The Jan. 22, 2013 Sunbury Daily Item is reporting about a rapidly moving arctic cold front which swept through the north Central Pennsylvania Valley north of Harrisburg last night, covering roads with a sheet of snow that soon turned to ice, causing numerous traffic accidents, road and highway closures.

At one time or another, sections of Routes 11 and 15 and Interstate 80 were closed. According to a Union County emergency dispatcher, I-80 was shut down in both directions for about four hours because of multiple vehicle accidents. One of those accidents was a truck crash in the eastbound lane around mile marker 207 that blocked and backed up traffic for several miles.

There was a crash on I-80 westbound in Northumberland County around 4 p.m. that backed up traffic into Montour and Columbia counties. That stretch reopened around 8 p.m.  A car accident on Point Township Road caused traffic to come to a standstill in both directions on Route 11 between Ridge Road and Epler Road. By 9 p.m., the road was cleared.

When a tractor-trailer slid sideways onto a hill off Route 15 North, between Lewisburg and Williamsport, that road was closed to one lane and an alternative route.

A two-vehicle accident on Route 304, outside of Mifflinburg, sent five people to Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg with minor injuries after a freakish snow squall pounded the back and side roads, Mifflinburg Fire Chief John Heiges said.

A Mifflinburg woman was injured and taken to Evangelical hospital after the car she was driving slid into another car on Route 104 in the area of Pottery Lane, Centre Township, Snyder County. Both cars were stopping to allow an ambulance to pass.

The cause of Monday’s problem was an arctic cold front that brought not only frigid air into the Valley, but also quick bursts of snow.  Total snowfall was less than one inch in most parts of the Valley. Western Union County was the exception, with amounts reported to be as deep as 5 inches in Forest Hill.

When driving during bad winter weather, remember to slow down significantly and anticipate icy conditions. Although you may be driving as carefully as possible, you cannot always control the actions of other drivers. If you are involved in a serious car wreck due to the negligent actions of another, contact an experienced Pennsylvania car crash lawyer at Schmidt Kramer, Harrisburg main office, for assistance. Contact us at (717) 888-8888 or DIAL 8 at 717-888-8888 for your free consultation.

You may also wish to download a free copy of our book Who Pays the Bills When You Are Injured in an Automobile Accident? for more information

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