Fiery wrong-way crash shuts down I-70 in Hempfield Township for hours

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A fiery wrong-way crash shut down eastbound I-70 in Westmoreland County for nearly 11 hours on Tuesday.

The crash, involving multiple commercial vehicles and an SUV, happened around 12:45 a.m. in Hempfield Township.

Pennsylvania State Police say 80-year-old Daniel Oliver drove several miles in the wrong direction on I-70, crashing into three tractor-trailers.

“It was a really shocking video to get this morning in quicktime to witness a runway collision, almost pinballing between two tractor-trailers, hitting a third one with an explosion of the jersey barrier, with the explosion of the tractor-trailer catching on fire, like i said earlier - we don’t know how we don’t have a three-way fatal,” Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said.

Firefighters said that the semi that caught fire was hauling produce. PSP says another truck spilled fuel onto the interstate.

State police say Oliver and the driver of the first tractor-trailer were taken to the hospital. The extent of their injuries is currently unknown.

The other two drivers were treated on scene.

Trucks were lined bumper-to-bumper for hours as crews tried to clean up both the east and westbound lanes.

Trooper Gagliardi says the first trailer was carrying produce, and the second trailer spilled gallons of diesel fuel, creating the massive fire. Due to the size of the explosion, he says the drivers are lucky to be alive, but this is not their first wrong-way driver.

“Three in a week. That is way more than I think we’ve ever seen in our region in years,“ Trooper Gagliardi said.

State police are currently evaluating Oliver and what may have led to the wrong-way crash.

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