Absolute Carnage On I-81 In Pennsylvania As Snow Squalls Lead To Pileup

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Monday that snow squalls caused a massive pileup on I-81 that turned into pure carnage as semis and other vehicles slammed into each other as a man who was involved in the crash was recording.

The accident occurred between the cities of Hazleton and Pottsville and according to local news outlets, an estimated 50 to 60 vehicles could have been involved. The Pennsylvania State Police also reported a tanker truck fire, which can be seen on video from the scene recorded by Mike Moye who says he was recording between mile marker 114 and 116.

The question from rookies who've never driven these highways during fog or snow squalls tends to be "Didn't they know to slow down?" 

Well, yes, but those people who've driven these highways will tell you that Pennsylvania highways cross over what feels like thousands of ridges as they cut through the mountains and valleys of the state. One side of the ridge could be sunny. The other side, as was the case today, could be experiencing a squall with whiteout conditions.

And then you get highways that look like what we're seeing on I-81. PennDot has been sending out warnings to people for decades about slowing down on days like today, but the crashes keep happening.

Drive Pennsylvania highways in the snow and fog at your own peril.