I-99 fully reopens in Centre County, 10 hours after crash involving tractor trailer
A section of Interstate 99 northbound, in Worth Township, fully reopened Friday evening after an overturned tractor trailer closed at least one lane for more than 10 hours.
A commercial vehicle hauling pallets overturned and was spread across both lanes Friday morning, closing both northbound lanes between Exits 52 and 61 from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. One motorist said he was forced to wait in the traffic jam for about an hour, before he and others were directed around 8:45 a.m. to travel against the normal flow of traffic to the nearest exit.
After a tow truck arrived at the scene, near Port Matilda, one lane reopened by 1:15 p.m. But both lanes did not reopen until 6 p.m. Friday.
The condition of the driver was not immediately known, but officials said no other vehicles or injuries were involved. Don Tice, assistant chief with the Port Matilda Fire Company, said the driver was transported to a hospital but couldn’t say with certainty which one.
PennDOT referred those questions to the state police, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The crash occurred at the 58.2-mile marker near Port Matilda. Tice said his fire department initially believed the driver might’ve been trapped under the cab of the truck, so STAT 9 (medical helicopter) was placed on stand-by — but ultimately wasn’t needed, as the driver wasn’t entrapped.
Port Matilda Fire Company was the first to respond. Others to assist on scene included Bald Eagle Volunteer Fire Company, Neptune Fire Company, the state police, PennDOT and AMED (Blair County EMS). Alpha Fire Company and STAT 9 were dispatched but ultimately were not needed on scene.
This story was originally published March 29, 2024 at 8:29 AM.
