A catastrophic collision resulted in a pileup of over 40 vehicles in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, closing a portion of Interstate 81 during a snow squall Monday, according to reports.
More than a dozen people were sent to local hospitals based on information from the Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management, the Associated Press reported. At least 3 people were killed and over a dozen were sent to local hospitals with injuries, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Driver Veers Off Road, Crashes Into Homeless Encampment And Kills Four People)
The crash reportedly occurred around 10:30 a.m. Monday, involving cars and tractor-trailers.
Schuylkill County’s transportation authority provided assistance to uninjured motorists involved in the crash, sending them to a Red Cross center to keep warm, arrange transportation, and connect with loved ones, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Joe Holden of CBS 3 Eyewitness News in Philadelphia posted video footage from the pileup on Twitter.
WATCH:
UNBELIEVABLE video of a pileup in Schuylkill County as snow squalls brought visibility on Interstate 81 down to near zero. Video shot live by Mike Moye (Facebook) pic.twitter.com/q1BxgUYz2O
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) March 28, 2022
Drivers reported whiteout conditions that clouded visibility and the sounds of vehicles colliding around them.
“Couldn’t even see three feet in front of me. Then I knew I was getting close to an exit, so I went over into the right lane, and by then, my car had slid completely over into the bank and there was no visibility. I could only hear cars around me hitting each other,” Hershey resident Lillie Weaver told Newswatch 16.
The area of the collision is reportedly closed off on I-81 and will remain contained indeterminately.