WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — A 64-year-old woman was killed, and at least ten people were rushed to hospitals after a 13-car pileup crash on an icy overpass in Washington County on Thanksgiving evening.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 1 dead, 2 in critical condition after crash on I-79 in Washington County
The crash happened around 5:40 p.m. on the I-79 northbound overpass.
Washington County 911 officials tell Channel 11 they activated the county’s mass-casualty plan as multiple weather-related emergencies happened at the same time.
During a two-hour period, dispatchers handled 52 incidents, including multiple serious highway crashes.
The Washington County Coroner identified the victim as 64-year-old Jamie Wiles, of Wheeling, W.Va. Wiles was the front-seat passenger in a car that lost control on the icy roadway. The driver and a back-seat passenger were taken to nearby hospitals.
The crash, which shut down traffic for miles, happened right around dinner time on Thanksgiving.
“We had a great dinner, and then you get the scariest call of your life,” recalled Wendy Harris, whose daughter was involved in the crash and taken to the hospital.
Harris was only five minutes behind her daughter when she parked her car and started running.
“I ran across the medians and over to her car,” Harris said. “They had her in the firetruck at the time because she was cold, and moved her to an ambulance.”
Witnesses who stopped to help said the icy road made it hard to walk. Some questioned why the roadway had not been salted.
“The first responders told me the roads had not been salted at all,” Harris said. “My question was, ‘Where was PennDOT?’ That’s still my question — where was PennDOT?”
PennDOT responded to Channel 11, saying, “We had crews en route when the snow band came through this area. Crews will continue to be out and treating the roadways.”
“I understand how quickly bridges ice up, how black ice can happen suddenly,” Harris said. “However, I think if there was salt on the roads before the temperature dropped, some of this could have been avoided.”
South Strabane Fire Department issued a statement offering condolences to the victim’s family and thanking the many fire and EMS crews who responded on the holiday.
The crash remains under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police.
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