Unfortunately, it wasn't safe to travel in Pennsylvania this Thursday. In fact, a fatal accident occurred because of this snowstorm.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, a semi-trailer was stopped in the right lane on Interstate 79 in Mercer County when it was struck by another semi-trailer. A third vehicle then hit the rear of the second semi-trailer in the left lane, which led to major damage to its driver's side.
The driver of the third vehicle was declared dead at the scene, per the Mercer County Coroner's Office. The driver of the second semi-trailer, meanwhile, was transported to a hospital for undisclosed injuries.
The highway was closed for four hours because of this crash. It's currently open as of this writing.
© Rich Gigli/The Record / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
The National Weather Service has issued a safety warning for those who plan on driving these conditions:
- Stay home. Only go out if necessary. Even if you can drive well in bad weather, it’s better to avoid taking unnecessary risks by venturing out.
- Drive slowly. Always adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on snow or ice.
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
- Increase your following distance to five to six seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop
Snow isn't expected to be a factor this Friday, but there will be slick driving conditions this weekend in Pennsylvania.
Stay safe this weekend.