NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. — Traffic slowed to a crawl, as crews closed parts of I-83 South after a crash killed three construction workers.
The overnight crash occurred just before 3:30 a.m. on April 17 on Interstate 83 in Fairview Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Authorities said a box truck collided with a construction vehicle in an active work zone, and the box truck continued onto the shoulder where it struck three construction workers, who were pronounced dead at the scene.
Hundreds of drivers were stuck on the highway between the Fairview and Fishing Creek exits, as police and accident reconstruction workers investigated the scene of the crash.
“I kept shutting my car off because there was no sense in letting it run," said Tracy Kefauver, who was stuck in traffic for three hours. “I just got done working a 16-hour shift and I’m supposed to report back for another 16-hour shift. I haven’t been to sleep yet.”
Many drivers were forced to take back roads to avoid the scene of the accident. Delivery driver Steve Darchicourt said I-83 resembled a parking lot.
“Nobody was moving," said Darchicourt. "In fact, some people were backing up just to get off the on-ramp, so it was a bad situation.”
The deaths of the three construction workers comes amid National Work Zone Safety Week, as transportation officials warn drivers about paying attention to road crews working on the highway.
Hector Morales, a construction worker at a site not too far from the crash, said the incident is weighing on his crew hours after it occurred.
“The way that people are driving on the highways, it’s a little scary," said Morales. “We have to be out here every day directing the traffic. So, it puts a little burden on our backs now.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spokesman Dave Thompson said they worked for an agency contractor.
“Right now we're just gathering information,” Thompson said. “We're very shaken by this event.”
The crew was sealing highway cracks at the time, Thompson said.
A Transportation Department news release issued a week ago said the overnight work involved lane closures and was being performed by CriLon Corp. of Somerset.
A phone message seeking comment was left early Wednesday at CriLon offices.