Truck bursts into flames in Route 422 head

Reporter

A billow of smoke could be seen from as far away as the city line following a head-on collision Monday afternoon on Route 422 East in Slippery Rock Township.

The crash resulted in the cab of an empty coal semi truck bursting into flames and a section of the highway being closed to traffic for several hours into the evening.

Firefighters, state police and other emergency units from multiple jurisdictions extricated the driver of a Chevy Impala, who reportedly crossed the center of the highway and struck the front end of the truck just after 2 p.m.

The driver was flown from near the scene to St. Elizabeth’s Youngtown Hospital, and the severity of his injuries was unknown in the afternoon. The accident occurred just west of the entrance to McConnells Mill State Park and the Harley-Davidson store in Rose Point.

The state police blocked traffic on the highway, causing many other tractor-trailers and cars to make U-turns and head in another direction. The highway section remained closed following the crash where the truck was stopped blocking lanes and spilled about 50 gallons of flammable diesel fuel onto the road.

Slippery Rock Township fire Chief Charles Peak, who was on scene, said the Lawrence County Public Safety Department responded and called out teams to clean up the hazardous spill.

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Debris from the car and the truck was strewn throughout that section of the highway, making it a challenge for emergency vehicles to navigate.

The Shenango Area Fire District and Portersville-Muddy Creek Volunteer Fire Department also assisted the state police and ambulance crews at the scene.

Emergency workers at the scene said the driver of the car for an unknown reason crossed the center line of the highway and struck the truck head-on, and the truck immediately caught fire. Nothing was left of the cab but cinders after the flames were doused.

Firefighters said the driver of the semi, who was traveling eastbound, veered to avoid the car and struck the guard rail before the truck caught fire.

Information about the drivers and other details about the crash were unavailable later in the afternoon because police were still at one of two accident scenes along that highway.

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