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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 10:45 p.m. ET: At least three people were killed Saturday in two crashes each involving 20 or more vehicles in winter conditions on interstates in northwestern Pennsylvania, authorities said.
The fatalities occurred in a crash involving more than 20 vehicles and tractor trailers on westbound Interstate 80 between Clintonville and Emlenton at about 3 p.m. ET, the Venango County Police Department told NBC News. There were at least six injuries. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a lower death toll -- two -- and said whiteout conditions contributed to the accident.
NBC station WICU of Erie said that the crash involved 50 vehicles and that more than 100 people were injured, but it did not cite sources.
A public information officer at the Grove Medical Center in Slippery Rock told NBC News that another accident involving 40-50 vehicles occurred around noon on Interstate 79. She said about 20 people were treated at the hospital, but all but one were released. The Post-Gazette said the interstate was closed for about three hours after the crash in the southbound lanes in Mercer County.
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outlaw cars! i don't understand America's facination with them. all they do is cause death.
And you are from?
Guess Beth missed troop's humor!
LOL
What an idiot! It's not the cars it's the drivers not driving with respect to the road or weather conditions.
Troop, your post made me chuckle but the responses to it caused me to LOL.
Troop.......>>Amazing the lack of humor in here. I thought it was funny !!!!!
Were these cars registered??
Although I understand Troops humor, the sad part is that they give anyone a license to drive. We need to register guns, but give anyone permission to operate a potentially deadly piece of machinery.
But remember, me talking on the cell phone is much more dangerous than the moms I see turning around to play or yell at the kids in the back seats. (By the way, I've tallied well over a million miles on the road, I've seen a lot of stupid sh!t)
If you outlaw cars only criminals will have cars!
Doesn't the Bill of Rights or the Constitution give people the right to drive stupid?
Most of the people in this country are idiots anyway, just look who our president is.
Everyone forgets that the most dangerous part of a car is the nut that holds the wheel!
when cars are outlawed only outlaws will have cars..........:)
beth and runner...get a grip....
Wayne...not everything is political....you "give me politics or give me death" crowd really need to get a life.
GO TROOP we need more of you on this board.......!!
@ Tiny_Rebel- LOL!!!!!!!!
Hey, wayne...your sorry azz just couldn't resist, could ya?
If you only had a brain... stupid!
i would like to know if the drivers had a licence ?
I had to stop and read after the first post, chain reaction.
Troop
I think , I understand . When you need the use of a car . You step to the curb . Hold up a hand and the yellow car with a light on top comes to you . So all the cars that are not yellow and with a light on top . Are outlaws . You must really have a hatred for tractors trailers .
No OUTLAW SNOW! If there's NO SNOW on the roads, won't people drive safer?
Locals need to design and build slower, safer side streets as an alternate route to the 70 mph road for bad weather, emergency vehicles, etc......Al-
I guess I don't understand troop's humor either
yes outlaw snow. lets hear it for global warming.
I was coming back from Erie, PA last night and it was by far the worst weather of the winter I have been driving in. I am thinking people were not slowing down for conditions because its been such and mild winter. This is just crazy as western PA drivers are very used to snow and white outs.
I also live in western PA and it did get bad last night, especially with the high winds and blowing snow. Add in the icy roads it was a recipe for disaster. Glad you got home safely.
I used to live there and have to say that I don't miss it at all. Stay safe. Good to see you Beth.
Being so close to the Ohio border on I-80, Chances are most of the cars and trucks involved were out of state and just passing through to places like New York or New Jersey. Everyone knows how safe the drivers in those two states are........
In Iowa, there is a stretch of I-35 north of Ames that is notorious for black ice and vehicles being in ditches. The DOT has installed gates to to prevent access. Winter driving in storms is always hazardous, regardless of where one lives.
Wilson: There are cars passing through on I-80, but most are from states that should know that they should slow down in wind and snow. But up until a few years ago, only states west and east of Ohio and western Pennsylvania had a lot of wind; Ohio and western Pennsylvania rarely had wind to go with the snow. About 6 years ago, a summer storm blew down a lot of trees and big branches in Ohio, then the winds were 30 gusting to 50. On Friday, under the same conditions, there were only oak leaves and twigs blowing around; all the trees have been trimmed. But the drivers still seem to think that they can go pedal to metal in windy conditions. It's funny... in the summer they slowly approach intersections, but with snow they want to get home and drive faster!
American 2051576
Only a few people know . But the reason many vehicles end up in the ditches . The ditches have ditch demons in them . Yes , ditch demons . They'll reach out and pull a car or truck into them . Sometimes more than one car or truck at a time . Don't tell any body . This is a will kept secret .
Some times in the niddle of the night , the sand man will help the ditch demon .
I got caught up in the traffic jam at the I79 wreck, about 1/2 miles behind the wreck. There were Lake Effect snows and high winds. It could be sunny one place and a mile down the road, have whiteouts. Normal for around here this time of year, or any time in the winter.
Luckily it only cost me some time.
The I80 wreck was worse, with fatalities and injuries. Same band of Lake effect snow, though.
The SECOND HAND SMOKE generated by automobiles needs to be addressed too. We're so worried about a few cigarettes yet fail to see the GIANT elephant in the living room which is all the smoke from combustion engines. Silly human race.
How irrelevant...
I guess you only walk where you need to go??? And how did you get 7 thumbs up on such an off-topic rant???
tree huggers...
Get your car out of your living room and it won't be so bad.
steven-4013747
How irrelevant...
----------------------------------
As are 99.9 percent of the comments (and yes, including mine)
Crying shame
I guess you only walk where you need to go??? And how did you get 7 thumbs up on such an off-topic rant???
#3.2 - Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:44 AM EST
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Yea ! When everybody starts driving plug in cars . There will be no more smog . That way they can drive on snow, ice and in the wind safely .
In Al Gore's world . Soon there will no longer be any snow and ice .
Wilson Orshal Being so close to the Ohio border on I-80, Chances are most of the cars and trucks involved were out of state and just passing through to places like New York or New Jersey. Everyone knows how safe the drivers in those two states are........
Wilson...I agree NJ and NY driver's alike are some of the craziest, road hogs around but let's not forget to include PA driver's in this as well. I've been driving PA highways for a long time and there's not one time running through the state where I do not encounter pure stupidity on the road. They not only tailgate, but tailgate at speeds at or above the posted speed limit. They get so close to your rear bumper it's amazing how they don't hit the car ahead of them. Driver's zigzag in and out narrowly missing collision with the vehicle they going around. What is the sense! PA, NY, NJ are SOME of the worst states in the Great US of A for drivers. Way too much road rage out there people.
Stand back several car lengths and slow down. Be courteous to other drivers on the road and maybe, just maybe when you want to pass they'll move out of your way. Most driver's out there do stupid things in reaction to what's being done to them. Let's ask ourselves this. Is barreling down I-80 at 75-80 mph or any speed for that matter, the right time/place to make a statement of displeasure to way others are driving? Why do some of us feel the need to react without thinking about the consequences? Get along out there folks. We are Americans, not a bunch of wild animals. If we all decided to slow down and be more courteous to others it could become a national way of life. The ones who don't initially catch on will have to once they see everyone else doing it. They won't have anything to react to. Life is to live for, not die for.
God's blessings to all of those and their families who were injured and killed in these accidents.
Ang- Wishful thinking. Good thoughts, BUT........that ain't gonna happen in this country in our lifetimes........
Why is it that state officials, state police, etc. do not stop crazy drivers from speeding in unsafe conditions? The State Police and Penndot know exactly when the weather and driving conditions become bad...so why don't they institute measures to slow down traffic immediately? Penndot and State Police are as responsible for the accidents and deaths as the drivers themselves.
Drivers know how they should drive, they don't need the police to tell them. Having a drivers licence is a privilige and drivers have a responsibility to with respect to the conditions!!
irish - manpower for one and their distribution
Hey "troop"... Accidents happen. Look up accident in the dictionary.
Irish Newcomer- because they are not allowed to use bazooka's on the interstates. And that would be about the only way to stop the retardo's. Let darwin continue to prevail..........its the only hope.
Irish, it may be because of our new half-wit governor who wants to slash the budget but not tax Marcullus Shale (sp) gas to give his fat cat buddies more profits. But cut education, police, etc. A Cut-and-Gutter.Guess which party he belongs to?
As for PA drivers: it's been a very mild winter (We've only had two 3 foot dumps and it all melted), and the drivers all need re-trained on how to drive in the wnter. And no, all season radials are not just as good as snow tires.
It's got to be the Mexican, and arab truck drivers faults. Or may George W. Bushes, no let's blame them on Obamas energy plan, everybody driving as fast as they can to get there, before the price of gas goes up again! LOL
It is not the police fault, it the drivers stupidity that drive too fast for bad road conditions, tailgating,and in a rush to get kill or kill innocent people, it is so ease to get a drivers license in this country,a lot of people who drive dont belong behind the wheel.
Very very dangerous... just stay off the roads when the weather is bad. Nothing is worth dying in an auto accident for.
The weather probably wasn't bad when most of those people got on the road and some folks were might have been heading to or from work. Calling out isn't always an option.
the only way across I-80 Pa in a storm is on your hands and knees - and even that's risky!!
Hopefully Jerry Sandusky does'nt read your post. He'll be out there a.s.a.p!
I-80 is the worst road in Pa. If you drive below 70 mph, some azzhole trucker is on your tail, or an suv is weaving in and out of lanes. I avoid 80 whenever possible and pray when i can't.
You said it! I-80 is a PITA to drive.
I beg to differ with that, I70 in PA is the worst hands down. Perpetual construction with narrow cattle shoots and idiots blowing thru them doing 70 in a 45 zone, twisty turns, no room to pull off anywhere, and literally bumper to bumper tractor-trailers. I drive this nightmare every week, sometimes I have to get off an exit and regroup a few minutes, it's that hair raising. Most of the drivers on it think their on a German autobahn.
delainey, sometime go to Morgantown and take I68 east. It follows the Mason-Dixon line. Nice road but a little hilly, with some very nice scenery. A nice change from the Turnpike. And no tolls (or trolls!)
I agree wholeheartedly with delainey. The western half of the PA Turnpike has to be among the worst stretches of road in the nation. But, it has been significantly improved since I and fellow students had to drive it for four years ('63-'67) on our way to college and back home to Pittsburgh. Having been scared $hitless more than I want to remember, I'll leave it at that.
However, an engineer that I met years later told me that engineers planning the interstate highway system learned how not to build super highways from the mistakes made by builders of our nation's first statewide toll road. The fact is that the geography of "Penn's woods" has its rugged terrain and weather that seems to morph as it passes through that terrain. Its endless hills and valleys create wind tunnels that magnify snow effects, particularly along I-80 in the northwest counties where lake effect snow comes off Lake Erie.
Drivers passing through the state on either East-West interstate must be prepared for the worst and to slow down when common sense dictates. And for goodness sake, pull off the road if a whiteout means that you're driving blind. The life you save may be your own.
"I-80 is the worst road in Pa. If you drive below 70 mph, some azzhole trucker is on your tail, or an suv is weaving in and out of lanes. I avoid 80 whenever possible and pray when i can't".
Really?
I-80 would be a pleasure to drive on if it were not for idiots in FOUR-WHEELERS driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit, while they are lane-hopping and bull$hitting on the cell phone.
By the way, jackass, next time you think truck drivers are a$$holes, remember that while you're picking up your organic vegetables at your local grocery store, or that 24-pack of beer you just have to have!
Everything you eat, drink, wear, the car you drive, as well as the gas you put in it, the TV you stare at, and the bed you sleep on came BY TRUCK!
I have been a Commercial Driver since 1974, and I am still convinced that every person that ever holds a drivers' license should have to spend their first year driving in a TRACTOR-TRAILER! Maybe, just maybe, you morons would learn to respect the men and women that spend their lives working away from home.
I bet you anything that it was a woman driver who caused this wreck. Do I hear an AMEN? Stupid women don't know how to drive. there just dumb and stupid and always putting on lipstick and looking at their selves in the rear view mirror. Yep. Women. Who needs 'em? dumb brods.
"Their selves"????????? Judd...............your lack of English skills takes away any credibility you might possibly have.
Nice trolling.
Me thinks Judd was jilted by a few women. Probably had something to do with his attitude towards them. Personally judd, I love women. Without them the human race would cease to exist!
Hey, Judd, you get the Hillbilly of the Week award for this one.
...
Are we to assume your mother regrets deeply bringing you into the world?
Judd,
Recent report by the Insurance Institute of America shows that women are the better drivers.
With this sentence you have the audacity to critic another persons english skills, The sad part is that you probably do not know what is wrong with it either!
Hillbilly...Really...Why not city dweller or suburbanite? Do you really think the educational system in many of the cities and especially the inner cities is any better than that of those in the remote country areas?
Does your mother regret bringing you into the world?Is that why you think Judds mother regrets him?
I am not defending Judds comment but if you are going to criticize someone at least criticize them for what they said and what you actually objected to and not some bogus attempt to make yourself feel superior by pointing out spelling,punctuation or grammatical errors.
Lighten up Francis!
Lost.....>>>>Stay in NJ where you belong. You don't have a clue.
A clue about what, That you make a statement about a persons lack of english skills and in the same sentence demonstrate that you have none.
Stay in NJ where I belong...Lol...You say that like that is a bad thing. I happen to like NJ very much and having traveled extensively throught this country and the world it is just as nice here as any place else.
Talk about clueless...That is funny...LOL...I can not stop laughing!
@Judd.........
Let's not forget all the MEN, in their little bubble, that drive with their cell phone stuck in their head, not paying attention to a damn thing around them!
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
Have a beer and happy up, George.
Have two if you have to drive on 80.
This has to stop.obama is loosing far too many votes...You must give up your real car,and drive one of those piece of $hit Green Machines..
What?
Troll much?
Uh..its Pennsylvania..those of us who drive through that state are grateful we do not have an accident. The roads are some of the worst in the country, WELL...its PENNSYLVANIA ...stay away if you can!
You're so right Maz. As soon as I cross the border from NJ to PA the difference in drivers is unbelievable. Everyone puts down NJ drivers but PA drivers are by far the worst I've ever seen.
I'm glad someone else said it. PA is the only state where I've driven 85 mph in a 35 zone and was still getting aggressively passed, honked at and flipped off like I was slowing up traffic!!!
I live in NJ and the drivers in this state are by far the some of the worst in the country. It's probably one of the only states where people get pissed and flip you the bird for stopping at a stop sign, yielding to oncoming traffic or stopping at a red light. And what makes it worse is law enforcement seems to have given up enforcing many of the traffic laws in this state. I have been rear ended twice in the last month at a stop sign on my way to work because I actually stopped instead of following the person in front of me right through the stop sign cutting off other drivers on the highway I'm pulling on to. After complaining to law enforcement about the problem they plainly said if everybody is doing it do you expect us to pull over and ticket everyone....seriously??????? And that sums it up basically, most people in NJ speed, run stop signs, run red lights and the police have basically given up enforcing it because they have been so lax with the laws for so long everybody does it and they can't stop it. It's a free for all in NJ and you should see it in a snow storm!!!
The roads I travel in PA, I81,I476 in eastern Pa seem to be very good...It's a beautiful part of the state also...
One time I was travling to VA during a snow storm.. When I got to the NJ turnpike a state cop escorted a group of 20 cars the whole length.from exit 10 to De...We went 35 MPH the whole way..The thing is we got there safe and sound....
Lived in this state better than 40 years. I found there are only two seasons in Pennsylvania. They are Winter and Construction.
And don't forget football season.
And deer
And BEER season. Can't let ya forget BEERseason.
Isn't the BEER season, the BASEBALL SEASON?
Yup,I said it before on here. Just because we have had a brown winter so far there is still a few months to go!
My condolences to the family members that lost loved ones in this accident.
These accidents were simply a result of PennDOT's perpetual incompetence. Every time it snows here, it's like the first time they've ever seen the stuff. In their defense, though...it was cold and snowing, you can hardly expect PennDOT's plow trucks to come out in that kind of weather.
What's big and yellow and sleeps 6? - a PennDot truck
Ever see the Pennsylvania state flower??? Here's a photo of it on this link.
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-26770333/stock-photo-orange-highway-barrels-border-road-construction.html
And here's a pix of the flower buds.
http://www.trafficcones.us/
ha-ha-ha ... as a former resident of Pennsylvania, how refreshing to see that some things remain the same.
What a waste of valuable time it is reading dumb stuff like this on the internet. All of you should know by now that the average person should not drive a vehicle when weather is this bad. Why don't you just wait until the paid people with the right equipment make the roadway driveable again ?
I gotta get to work. Ta Ta.
nbct just said that all the drivers of all the cars and trucks were illegal mexicans with no drivers license and no insurance,, then again, i could of misread it, nbct is the mexican taco bell tv channel, and they just advertise cheby's
I just saw this on the news, it's horrific. So close to me and I always worry it's going to be someone I know. This one was really bad, the cars weren't even visible under the FexEx trucks. Interstate 79 was also closed today due to an accident, but at least there we no fatalities in that one and the road was reopened.
Was Danica Patrick on the Pennsylvania freeway too?
I have seen people on the chats make fun of the weather people forecasting bad winter conditions. PA accidents today supports those reports. If only drivers would listen and take extra care. condolence to the families that lost loved ones.
As a trucker stops for a slow driver, a blonde catches up. She jumps out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door.
The trucker lowers the window, and she says "Hi, my name is Heather and you are losing some of your load."
The trucker ignores her and proceeds down I-80.
When the truck stops for another slow car, the girl catches up again.
She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door.
Again, the trucker lowers the window. As if they've never spoken, the blonde says brightly, "Hi my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down the Interstate.
At the third slow down, the same thing happens again.
All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks on the truck door. The trucker rolls down the window.. Again she says "Hi, my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
When the cars start moving the trucker revs up and races ahead.
When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck, and runs back to the blonde.
He knocks on her window, and after she lowers it, he says...
"Hi, my name is Larry, it's winter in Pennsylvania, there's snow and ice on the road and I'm driving the SALT TRUCK!"
It was later discovered that Heather was a recent graduate from Univ. of Pa.
Even 30 years later, it's still good........
Can Heather be any U Penn grad, not just a blonde? After all, we're in the 21st Century.
The other punch line . Lady , I finish with this parking lot . I'm going to go Wal-mart next .
Maybe some of the drivers were watching the Daytona race on their Ipads and decided to join in the fun.
The Daytona 500 is today so that's not their excuse!
Drive carefully, no texting and no calling via phone.
what else would we call with? A carrier pigeon?
@ steven-4013747
That might not be such a bad idea. At least, when the carrier pigeon takes off, you can PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVING!
That is an AUTOMOBILE..........not a frigging PHONE BOOTH!!
Changing conditions can get even the best drivers. Thats why its always wise to slow down whenever the conditions even look slightly bad. If you wait until they feel bad, its too late.
it is not a right to drive; it's a privilege to drive