Car may have been distracted prior to causing 4-vehicle wreck
A terrible car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike left three people hospitalized and the police searching for answers about the crash. The accident occurred near a work zone, where a van and a tanker truck were stopped. A red car was pulling up to the area and failed to stop. As a result, the driver of the red car tried to swerve out of the way, but the vehicle collided with a box truck, causing both of the vehicles to crash and, ultimately, become entangled with the van and the tanker truck.
One person in the van was taken to a hospital after the crash, as was the passenger of the red vehicle that started the entire crash. The driver of the red vehicle was pinned inside for 45 minutes as emergency responders tried to extricate him. He was unconscious initially but regained consciousness later on and was talking by the end of the extrication effort.
At this time, there are no official reasons explaining why the driver of the red car was unable to stop. However, a statement at the end of the source article by a police officer referenced the fact that drivers need to avoid using cellphones while driving and that their attention has to be on the road ahead of them. Additionally, in work zones, everyone should be driving slower.
Speeding and distracted driving are two major problems out on the road. They are negligent behaviors that could lead to devastating car accidents.
Source: Action News 4, “Multi-vehicle accident on Pa. Turnpike in Hampton Township,” Aug. 22, 2017