PITTSBURGH — One person is dead after five vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash Tuesday morning in a construction zone on the Parkway North.
A tri-axle truck overturned and went through a guiderail and partially over a hillside when it was involved in the initial crash into a barrier about 5:30 a.m., police said. Additional accidents followed.
The driver of the tri-axle truck, 64-year-old Bryant Beiter, of Munhall, was killed, officials said. Three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries and were treated and released.
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Police said it is not clear how the initial crash happened, but it appears the tri-axle overturned after the driver lost control. Its load of slag dust spilled onto the roadway.
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The slag dust caused a loss of visibility and another vehicle sideswiped the truck, police said. That vehicle pulled into an emergency pull off area.
Meanwhile, a third vehicle was struck from behind by a fourth vehicle, police said. A fifth vehicle then struck the back of the truck.
Southbound Interstate 279 reopened to traffic Tuesday evening, with a single-lane restriction between the Bellevue/West View and Perrysville Avenue exits. PennDOT crews fixed the guiderail overnight and the highway fully reopened early Wednesday morning.