Timothy Floravit, 35, and Leonard Mink, 67, dead; 10 injured following 18-car pileup during whiteout snowfall on I-80 in Clarion Township, Pennsylvania

Modified Date:

Thu, 01/08/2015 - 11:58am

Accident Date:

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

At least 3 dead in 17-vehicle pileup on I-80

"There was a whiteout. There was very heavy snow at the time with visibility virtually zero," Smith told TribLIVE.

Snow squall leads to 17-car crash on I-80 in Clarion Co.

[VIDEO] Snow squall leads to 17-car crash on I-80 in Clarion Co.

3 Dead, Many Injured in 18-Vehicle Pileup During Whiteout

The squalls were drifting southwest from Lake Erie.

Snow Squalls Lead To 17-Vehicle Pileup On I-80 In Clarion County, 3 Dead

They also warn that the wind driven snow will ice over previously treated roads creating dangerous driving conditions.

2 dead in 18-vehicle pileup on I-80 in Clarion Township

“It was carnage,” Clarion County Coroner Terry Shaffer said. “(There was) metal everywhere. There were bustled axels, trucks totaled. One tanker trunk didn’t have any wheels on it.”

Beaver Falls man, one other person, dead in 18-vehicle Clarion pileup

Authorities now say two people died in a highway pileup in whiteout conditions in western Pennsylvania while a third death occurred in an unrelated crash.

Two dead following multi-vehicle crash on Penn. interstate

It wasn't immediately clear if Mink's vehicle was among those involved in the crash, or whether he had been able to stop safely before he was killed.

Names of victims released from Interstate 80 pileup

Police are now saying that the number of injured from the crash, initially estimated as high as 30, was actually substantially smaller, with as few as 10 people being taken to the hospital.

Tractor-trailers, trucks and cars were all involved in the crash on westbound I-80 that left two people dead and more than 10 injured. Police say the pileup in Clarion Township occurred during a snow squall Wednesday afternoon and involved at 18 vehicles. Timothy Floravit of Beaver Falls collapsed and died of internal injuries while looking for his children, who had been ejected from their vehicle. His injuries were apparently from hitting the steering wheel. His children were later found unharmed. Leonard Mink of Nancy, Kentucky was struck and killed by another vehicle when he got out of the semi he was driving to help other motorists. 20 people were brought to hospitals. Westbound lanes of I-80 in the New Bethlehem were closed for hours while crews work to clear and investigate the scene.

Type: Car Accident

Topics:

Pileup, Weather Conditions

People Involved:

Timothy Floravit

Leonard Mink

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