State Police have provided an update on a multi-vehicle crash that shut down part of Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County during the ice storm earlier this week.
According to information release from PSP’s Frackville barracks, the incident on Monday night involved a total of 7 vehicles, including a police cruiser and tractor trailer.
Three people suffered injuries that required a trip to the hospital that night. Four vehicles were involved in the highway crack-up and another 3 got stuck in snow on the highway median.
Details Released on I-81 Ice Storm Crash in Schuylkill County
The incident started just after 6:30 p.m. Monday in Kline Township near Mile Marker 138.9 in the northbound lanes of Interstate 81.
At that time, the driver of one vehicle, Hipolito Pabon Jr., 51, of Lebanon, says he lost control of his 2001 Toyota Sequoia on the icy road. Police say Pabon’s vehicle exited the right berm and hit the guiderails along the highway. When it finally came to a stop, Pabon’s SUV was partially in the right lane of traffic.
Pabon escaped injury but his passenger, 38-year-old Eleni Angelatos, suffered some injuries and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
While Pabon’s vehicle was disabled after hitting the guiderails, a 2015 Police Interceptor driven by 39-year old John Jones, of Nescopeck, with 44-year-old Michele Welsh, of Berwick, as a passenger stopped to provide help. As Jones and Welsh were helping at the scene, a third vehicle, a 2016 International tractor trailer, sideswiped the Interceptor on its driver’s side. The truck was driven by 22-year-old Steven Kinney Jr., of Presque Isle, Maine.
After the truck hit the car, another car, driven by 43-year-old Ken Wilson, of Lansford, rear-ended the tractor trailer. In the 1999 Honda Civic with Wilson was 40-year-old Heather Carl, also of Lansford. Wilson’s vehicle ended up in the median area of the highway after hitting the truck.
Jones, Welsh, and Kinney all avoided injury during the incident. However, Wilson and Carl both required a trip to the hospital for their injuries.
Police say 3 other vehicles were able to avoid the crash but ended up getting stuck in the snow on the median.
The crash closed down both northbound lanes of I-81 for about 90 minutes Monday evening.
First responders from Delano, McAdoo, and Tresckow all arrived at the scene to assist police in clearing the highway and helping the motorists.
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