Pa I-78 two truck crash/ fire.

Additional Details, still vague, but hopefully the extent is three injured (unk condition), without any fatalities.
I hope the injuries are not serious.

SALISBURY TWP., Pa. - An accident involving two tractor trailers snarled eastbound traffic on Interstate 78 in Lehigh County.
The crash happened around 11 a.m. Wednesday just west of the Summit Lawn interchange in Salisbury Township.
I-78 East was closed at the Cedar Crest interchange for nearly two hours. Smoke was visible from a distance.
Police said three people were injured, but their conditions weren't available.

Police also could not provide any information about what caused the crash.

Additional News Report (with a 2nd video)

 

Follow up

http://m.wfmz.com/state-police-rele...ash/-/15946050/23844366/-/tr4ajb/-/index.html

 

Copy/paste because Mo*ning Call removes free online access to old stories.

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/...-idd-20140109,0,3613539.story?obref=obnetwork

By FWarner, Of The Mo*ning Call 6:40 a.m. EST, January 9, 2014

No one in the two tractor-trailers that collided and caught fire Wednesday morning on Interstate 78 in Salisbury Township was injured seriously, police said Wednesday night.
State police also identified the truckers and two passengers on the big rigs, which crashed 11 a.m. in an I-78 eastbound lane near the Lehigh Street exit.

Albert W. Couch, 45, of Antioch, Tenn., was driving the tractor-trailer that rear-ended the other driven by Luis N. Nunez, 42, of Union City, N.J., Trooper Michael D. Irons said.
When Couch's truck caught fire, a passer-by stopped and helped to free Couch and his passenger, Brandon E. Daniels, 27, of Hermitage, Tenn., police said.

As Couch's cab became engulfed in flames, the fire spread to the rear of Nunez' trailer.
Couch, Daniels, Nunez and Nunez' passenger, Diogenes N. Valdez, 54, of Englewood, N.J., were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment of their injuries, which police described as non-life-threatening.

The collision happened as Nunez drove up a hill at about 10 miles per hour and Couch, behind Nunez in the right lane, failed to brake in time to avoid Nunez's tractor-trailer, police said.
Troy Richards, a driver for the J.B. Hunt trucking company, said he went to help after he saw the collision and fire.
"I stopped my truck and jumped out with my fire extinguisher and noticed that the driver of [one] truck was trapped in the truck," said Richards, of Gloucester County, Va. "So I jumped up on his truck and did everything I could and got him out of the truck. I sat him down on the ground and then his truck burst into flames."
Richards said he got both truckers into his rig and pulled away. Shortly after, fire crews and police arrived, he said.
Also assisting at the scene were Upper Saucon Ambulance, Allentown EMS, Emmaus EMS, Salisbury Fire Company, Lower Milford Fire Company, Fogelsville Fire Company and PennDOT.

— FWarner


Copyright © 2014, The Mo*ning Call

 

Good to see a fellow driver help out those that were still trapped in the truck.
A tip of the hat to JB Hunt driver Troy Richards.

I'm just wondering if the first truck, driven by Nunez, had it's 4-way flashers on, if in fact, it was only doing 10 mph in an active lane of traffic.
And if so, why was he only doing 10 mph? Hill or no hill.
Altho the second truck is responsible for rear ending the first truck, to NOT have your 4-ways on should be Felony Stupidity.

 

probably missed a gear or two....bad juju

 

Another bad one on rt 78 today http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=9391499

 

That's my thought.

 

There are times you need to slow down and be prepared to come to a complete stop. Toll booths qualify as one of those times. Unfathomable that a trucker would plow into a car stopped at a toll booth.

 

I grew up in Allentown that was always a steep hill. Before we built I-78 through there it was just Rt. 309. I hauled many loads of limestone and asphalt for the new I-78. Always trucks creeping along on the low side since that road was built. Also, he might just entered from Lehigh St. right at the bottom of the hill.

You can see a mile ahead if there's slow traffic in front of you. Totally preventable.