Whiteout caused 'carnage'
CLARION TWP, Clarion County — Two people died and several others were injured in an 18-vehicle crash Wednesday during a snow squall that left drivers with little visibility. Authorities said the chain reaction pileup happened in whiteout conditions on Interstate 80.
Nine trucks, several of them tractor-trailers, and nine cars were involved in the crash in the westbound lanes, state police said. At least one of the trucks was carrying hazardous material, but no leaks were found, a county official said.
“It was carnage,” Clarion County Coroner Terry Shaffer said. “(There was) metal everywhere. There were busted axles, trucks totaled. One tanker trunk didn’t have any wheels on it.”
Two people died after leaving their vehicles. One was struck and the other collapsed and died of internal injuries while looking for his children, who had been ejected, Shaffer said. The children were found unharmed.
The coroner said the wife of one victim said “they just kept getting hit and banged around.”
Her husband, 35-year-old Timothy Floravit of Beaver Falls, apparently died of internal injuries from hitting the steering wheel, Shaffer said.
The other man killed was Leonard Mink, 67, of Nancy, Ky., who was struck by another vehicle when he got out of his rig to help other motorists. It wasn’t immediately clear if Mink’s vehicle was among those involved in the crash, or whether he had been able to stop safely before he was killed.
He died of severe injuries to the right leg and body.
State Police Trooper Jamie Levier said fewer than 10 other people were injured in the crash. He did not know the severity of the injuries.
None of the other injuries were thought to be life-threatening, although three of the people taken to Clarion Hospital were sent on to Pittsburgh hospitals with more serious injuries. The others were being treated for everything from bumps to broken bones, spokesman Julie Kunselman said.
The National Weather Service had issued warnings about lake effect snow squalls in the area Wednesday afternoon. The squalls drifted southwest from Lake Erie.
“It was pretty bad out there,” Levier said. “We had some unique situations to deal with.”
Westbound lanes of the highway opened up at 2 a.m., Levier said. The road was closed as crews worked to clear the numerous disabled vehicles and state police investigated the crash.
Levier said the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, other than the fact weather was a factor.
Traffic was initially rerouted along Route 322 but was eventually sent down Route 28 off the Brookville exit due to heavy congestion.
The crash and the bad weather also caused basketball games Wednesday night involving the Allegheny-Clarion Valley boys and girls basketball games against Clarion-Limestone to be postponed.
The boys game has been rescheduled for Jan. 28. No new date has been picked for the girls basketball game.
Eagle staff writers Will DeShong and Jim Smith contributed to this report.
