LEWISTOWN, PA : Two people were injured after a two-vehicle crash on Monday, September 11, 2017

Two people were injured after a two-vehicle crash, Monday morning, near the Walnut Street on-ramp for State Route 322.

The crash occurred shortly before morning rush hour when a vehicle collided with a tractor trailer on SR322 from Walnut Street, Fire Chief, Bob Barlett, said during the Monday night Lewistown Borough Council meeting. Barlett said he was unsure what happened, but the vehicle and a tractor trailer were both at the same spot at the same time. The tractor trailer slammed against the side of the bridge causing damage to the truck portion. At this point, the trailer, which was empty other than the wire shelving inside, became unhitched from the truck’s fifth wheel. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials who were on the scene said that they had never seen a trailer do this before because fifth wheels are bolted on, and are rated to withstand a heavy amount of pressure before breaking away.

The trailer then went over the side of the bridge and down an embankment, landing on its roof. It slid to a stop on the train tracks, which service Standard Steel, after hitting a utility pole and damaging the fence to a yard which was next to the tracks. The trailer sustained heavy damage.

Barlett said that firefighters worked to get the woman out of her vehicle that collided with the tractor trailer, stating that her door had to be popped open. The driver of the tractor trailer was found laying in the road. Barlett believed both suffered minor injuries.

Portions of the load from the trailer were able to easily be removed and placed on a flatbed for transport away from the scene. The trailer itself had to be lifted from the scene and a heavy wrecker was brought in to assist in the clean-up.

During the crash, the trailer also took down some power and cable lines in the area. Penelec and Lepley’s Electric were on the scene after to assist the fire department with the downed wires.

Traffic on SR322 was tied up for several hours while crews operated on the scene. Once the vehicles were removed from the road, one lane was opened up for traffic until the trailer was safely hauled away.

The Lewistown Borough Police Department was investigating the exact cause of the crash, and no further information was available as of press time.

Assisting the police on the scene were City Hook and Ladder, Brooklyn Hose, United Fire and Rescue and Highland Park Hose fire companies, Fame EMS and Lewistown Borough Fire Police.\

Source :
2 injured in morning crash