Apr. 12—Northbound Interstate 81 was shut down for hours in central Schuylkill County Monday when a disabled tractor-trailer was struck by another rig and both burst into flames.
One driver was hurt, but there were no life-threatening injuries, said Bill Lindenmuth, chief of Frackville’s Goodwill Hose Co., who called that fact “amazing” considering the circumstances.
He said the cab and trailer on the rig that struck the other rig were destroyed by fire, as was the trailer that was struck. The cab of the disabled unit did not catch fire, and the service truck that was in front of the disabled rig was not hit, he said. The one trailer was filled with boxes of fun-size Peanut M&M’s and Snickers bars and the other contained clear plastic drinking cups.
Goodwill personnel got to the scene in less than 15 minutes after being dispatched at 9:02 a.m., Lindenmuth said, and found both trailers and the one cab “fully involved” in fire. The cab and trailers burned “to the frame,” he said.
Firefighters were on scene until 2 p.m. Both northbound lanes of the highway, however, remained closed as of 6 p.m., according to PennDOT’s 511PA travel conditions website.
Traffic was being detoured a few miles south at the Hegins exit onto Route 25, then Route 209 and Route 901 back onto the interstate at the Minersville exit.
State police had not issued a report on the accident as of Monday evening.
Lindenmuth said a service truck
9:02 a.m.
Broken down idisapble. with service truk. Another tt ran into the rear of the disabled tt.
Both tt burned.
Service truck in front of first one. Wasn’t struck or on fire.
No serious injuries. One of the truck driver hurt … not know to be very seriors.
Disabled truck was hauling fun-size containers/boxes on ballots or mm peanut or snickers.
“Lots of them,”
pretty well contained to the trailers;
second was hauling crates of clear plastic solo cups.
both were relatively full. they were loaded.
“Kind of hand … things repeat themselves …
“never know what you’re going find up on the
disabled tractor was disconnected pulled away. trailer destroyed.
one ran into completely gone down to the frame; so was trailer.
“It’s amazing …. that there were no life-threatening injuries,”
we cleared around 2.
first arriving engine. Both were well involved with fire. probably about no more than 15 minutes.
The northbound lanes of Interstate 81 are shut down at mile marker 114, two miles south of the Minersville exit, after a fiery accident involving two tractor-trailers and a service truck.
Emergency communications report that one tractor-trailer was disabled and a service truck pulled in behind it, and that another tractor-trailer smashed into those vehicles.
Northbound traffic is being diverted off the interstate at the Hegins exit onto Route 25, then to Route 209 and Route 901, and back to the interstate at the Minersville exit.
The accident occurred about 9 a.m.