Multi-Vehicle Accident Snarls Turnpike

At Least 15 Vehicles Were Involved

NEW STANTON, Pa., Updated 9:26 p.m. EDT September 1, 2000 -- A multi-car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike closed both eastbound and westbound lanes between the New Stanton and Donegal exits for several hours on Friday.

WTAE Coverage Of The Crash Scene

The accident happened between mile markers 83 and 84, which is about nine miles east of New Stanton. The accident happened in the westbound lanes.

WTAE-TV's Marcie Cipriani reported that a tractor-trailer operated by the crew chief for NASCAR driver Andy Belmont slammed into 16 cars.

Several cars had stopped, but the tractor-trailer could not, causing a chain reaction.

Two helicopters and seven ambulances were called to the scene.

State police said that 15 people were treated at the scene and eight others were taken to three area hospitals.

Delia Veschi, 21, is in fair condition at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh and is expected to be released later Friday.

A woman and a man were treated at Westmoreland Regional Hospital and released, while four more people were treated and released at Latrobe Area Hospital.

Another injured person was treated and released at Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant.

State police said that one person had to be extricated from a vehicle.

Traffic was backed up for at least three miles eastbound and five miles westbound soon after police closed both sides of the highway to make way for emergency crews.

The stretch of the turnpike in question due to pothole problems and other defects. Resulting lane restrictions have caused massive tie-ups at times.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania ranked second to Texas in heavy truck crashes in 1998 with 7,300 crashes, 192 deaths and 6,000 injuries. Nationally, there were 5,300 highway deaths in 1998.

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