A York County couple were identified as two of the three people killed in Monday afternoon’s seven vehicle pileup on Interstate 78 in Berks County. It happened at about 1 pm at milepost 41.5 in the eastbound lane of the highway in Greenwich Township.
State Police say the driver of a tractor trailer, Vincente Espinvera, 56, of Belleville, New Jersey, failed to notice stopped or slowed traffic ahead. Espinvera’s big rig slammed into the rear of a vehicle driven by Robert Rosner, 52, of Allentown. Rosner’s vehicle burst into flames causing injuries. The fire then spread to two other vehicles along the center median.
In one of those vehicles were Edward Dearden, 57 and his wife Theresa, 54, both of York. The couple were unable to escape their burning vehicle.
Meantime Espinvera attempted to back away from the burning Rosner vehicle. Espinvera escaped just before his truck was engulfed in flames. The drivers of three other vehicles involved in the crash were identified as Frank Burns, 37, of Gettysburg, Austin Knerr, 33, of Catasauqua, Richard Hamilton, 61, of Amagansettt, New York, and John Hudock, 64, of Pottsville. All four suffered non-life threatening injuries.