Drivers Return To Abandoned Cars Near McKnight Road

More than a dozen drivers who got stranded along the Parkway North McKnight Road on-ramp in Ross Township late Monday night returned to their vehicles Tuesday morning.

VIDEO: Drivers Return To Abandoned Vehicles

During the massive snowstorm, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation closed the outbound ramp to McKnight Road due to multiple accidents.

"There was a bunch of cars pulled over, so we figured let's start pushing them one at a time over the hill," said driver Rick Julius.

All of the drivers Channel 11 News talked to on Tuesday said having to abandon their vehicles was one of their worst experiences they ever had on the roads.

“I left Troy Hill at 20 ‘til 8 p.m., and I got this far at quarter ‘til 11, and my car died out,” said driver Dan Elway. “I didn't see a salt truck or plow all that time, nothing.”

“Walked home about 4 miles maybe, McCandless,” said driver Brian Boul.

One driver told Channel 11 News that he saw people “abandoning their cars left and right” during the storm.

“I pulled over. I was at beginning of ramp, tried to make my way up the side and so I could get it off the road as best I could,” said one driver. “I realized I wasn't going to make it up the hills.”

“I ran out of gas, parked it,” said driver Scott Mulig. “Called my brother. That's it. Took me three hours to go from Pittsburgh to here.”

More than 8 inches of snow fell in Pittsburgh overnight, a record.

Channel 11's Cara Sapida spoke to Jim Struzzi of PennDOT who said his crews did the best they could given that the snow began to fall during the evening rush hour. Struzzi said plowing and treating roads is especially difficult when there are vehicles along the roads.

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