Drivers heading home during the evening commute Tuesday night narrowly avoided disaster on I-79 north when a vehicle traveled the wrong direction at highway speeds.
Dash cam video captured just before 5:30 p.m. shows the wrong-way driver swerving through oncoming traffic, narrowly missing multiple vehicles. In one clip, a driver is seen steering into a snow bank to avoid a head-on collision.
Derek Klopp, who was driving northbound on I-79 at the time, says he had just passed a semi-truck when the vehicle suddenly appeared coming straight toward him.
“Before I realized what was happening, a vehicle blasted past me in the left lane,” Klopp said. “I’m glad I wasn’t in the left lane trying to pass somebody. That could have been fatal.”
Pennsylvania State Police say they do not yet know where the driver entered the highway. Troopers believe the vehicle may have entered an on-ramp going the wrong direction or crossed through an emergency vehicle turnaround, which remains covered in snow.
“The emergency crossover is completely snowed over and plowed in, so they must have been going the wrong way for a while,” Klopp said.
State police interviewed multiple witnesses and reviewed several videos. They are now searching for a grey SUV. Because the vehicle struck the median and continued driving, troopers are treating the case as a hit-and-run wrong-way collision.
Drivers involved say they are grateful the incident didn’t end in tragedy.
“Imagine if you were on your phone when that happened,” Klopp said. “If someone hadn’t been paying attention, it could have been very messy.”
State police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has dash cam video to contact them.
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