News

1 killed when truck crashes, catches fire on I-79 in Washington Co.

AMWELL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A crash early Monday morning along Interstate 79 in Washington County killed one person and caused the tanker truck involved to catch fire, police said.

The accident was reported shortly after 5 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-79 in Amwell Township.

Investigators said the truck abruptly swerved before it went off I-79 through a guiderail, struck an embankment and went airborne. The truck then went across a ravine and crashed into another embankment along Weaver Run Road.

Smoke filled the air as the cab of the truck caught fire.

Authorities said the driver, a 51-year-old man, died in the crash. His identity has not been released.

Traffic was backed up for several hours while Pennsylvania State Police remained at the scene and a crane was used to clear the wreckage.