The five people killed in a horror crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike have been identified.
The deadly chain-reaction collision unfolded at about 3.40am Sunday at westbound mile marker 86 near Mount Pleasant when a tour bus lost control on a downhill curve, struck an embankment and flipped on its side, blocking both lanes of traffic. Two tractor-trailers, operated by FedEx and UPS, rammed into the wreckage, followed by a second UPS truck and a passenger vehicle.
Five people died at the scene and 55 were transported to area hospitals with injuries.
A coroner released the names of the dead late Sunday night: Shuang Qing Feng, 58, of Flushing, New York; Eileen Zelis Aria, 35, of Bronx, New York; Jaremy Vazquez, nine, of Brooklyn, New York; Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania; and Daniel Kepner, 53, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
UPS confirmed that two of its drivers, Kehler and Kepner, were among the dead.
The men were driving together when their tractor-trailer rammed into the overturned bus.
The other three victims were in the bus, which was operated by Z & D Tours and traveling from Rockaway, New Jersey, to Cincinnati, Ohio. Feng was the bus driver and Aria and Vazquez were passengers.
Emergency crews spent more than 10 hours recovering the victims’ bodies from the crash site because the wreckage was so severely mangled.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the crash investigation, and authorities say it could be weeks or months before the cause is determined.
Five people were killed and 55 were injured in a horror crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early Sunday. The dead were identified as: Shuang Qing Feng, 58; Eileen Zelis Aria, 35; Jaremy Vazquez, nine; Dennis Kehler, 48; and Daniel Kepner, 53
The deadly chain-reaction collision unfolded at about 3.40am Sunday at westbound mile marker 86 near Mount Pleasant when a tour bus lost control on a downhill curve, struck an embankment and flipped on its side, blocking both lanes of traffic. Two tractor-trailers, operated by FedEx and UPS, rammed into the wreckage, followed by a second UPS truck and a car
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the crash investigation, and authorities say it could be weeks or months before the cause is determined. Aerial footage showed emergency crews surveying the wreckage in the dark
The National Weather Service forecast for Westmoreland County at the time of the crash listed light unknown precipitation and an air temperature just below freezing. Photos from the scene showed snow falling on the roadway.
Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo told the AP it was ‘premature’ to say if weather was a factor in the crash.
Officials said the roads had been treated and stressed that they were not icy.
Angela Maynard, a semi-truck driver from Kentucky, said she was traveling eastbound on the turnpike when she and her driving partner reached the scene.
‘I looked up at that hill there, and I could see lights. It looked like a lot of them,’ Maynard told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. ‘There was no fire, just a lot of smoke at that point.’
She and her co-driver got out of their truck to see if anyone was hurt.
‘It was horrible,’ Maynard said. ‘I was trying to make sure everyone was okay.
‘I walked toward the scene and saw one of the truck drivers laying near the barrier. I tried to keep him occupied, keep talking, until medical help arrived. He was in bad shape. He was floating in and out of consciousness.’
Another driver was trapped in their truck, she said.
When first responders arrived, Maynard and others were told to clear the scene and keep driving before the turnpike was closed.
Maynard noted that the roadway was wet from snow but not especially icy.
Emergency crews spent more than 10 hours recovering the victims’ bodies from the crash site
The bus, operated by Z & D Tours, was en route to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Rockaway, New Jersey
Video from the scene appeared to show snow falling on the roadway. It is unclear if weather was a factor in the crash
The people injured were transported to three area hospitals. State police spokesman Stephen Limani said two people suffered critical but non-life-threatening injuries and the rest of the injuries were less serious.
An Excela Health spokesperson confirmed that Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant was treating 25 patients who ranged in age from seven to 52, with nine under 18 years old.
Eleven of the injured were taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. A spokesperson said one was in critical condition and the others are in fair condition.
UPMC Somerset treated 18 patients – 12 adults and six under 18.
The turnpike remained closed for 15 hours on Sunday from New Stanton to Breezewood, an 86-mile stretch
As news of the crash spread, frightened family members flocked to the hospitals to meet their loved ones.
Among them was Leticia Moreta, whose children Jorge, 24, and Melanie, 16, were in the bus.
‘I was devastated,’ Moreta told the Tribune-Review. Her son and daughter were in stable condition after the crash.
Omeil Ellis of Irvington, New Jersey, told the outlet that two of his brothers were hurt in the crash.
He and his family were at Frick Hospital on Sunday afternoon waiting for his 17-year-old brother Quan to be released while his other brother, Anthony, was undergoing surgery at a different hospital.
‘I was crying,’ Ellis said. ‘I was, like, crazy crying. I’m still hurt. I’m just weak right now.’
The turnpike remained closed for 15 hours on Sunday from New Stanton to Breezewood, an 86-mile stretch.