Hazle Township, PA : Two women and a girl severely injured in a crash on Interstate 81 in Luzerne County on Friday night, May 20, 2016

Two women and a girl were severely injured in a crash that closed Interstate 81 in Hazle Township for more than four hours on Friday night.

State police at Hazleton said the driver, Melanie Ann Burleson, 33, of Jessup, and her passenger, Brittany Gallagher, 25, of Scranton, were ejected after the vehicle hit a rock embankment on the berm and spun back across the highway, while firefighters had to free 8-year-old Amailey Gonzalez of Jessup from the back seat.

All three victims were flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital after medics from American Patient Transport Systems and Valley Regional Fire and Rescue treated them at the roadside.

The crash happened at 8:40 p.m. in the northbound lanes when the vehicle slid onto the east berm, hit the rocks and spun across the highway to the median at mile marker 144.5.

Pictures taken by the Hazle Township Volunteer Fire Co. and posted on the Facebook page of the Luzerne County Fire Wire show no roof remained on the vehicle after the girl was removed

Police closed the highway until approximately 1 this morning.

Anyone who saw the crash can telephone police, who continue to investigate, at 570-459-3890.

Firefighters from Hazle Township and Valley Regional, fire police and workers from the Pennsylvania Transportation Department assisted police.

Source :
Three severely hurt in I-81 crash