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Snow Squall Causes String of Crashes

NESCOPECK TOWNSHIP — State police say a snow squall Saturday morning in Luzerne and Columbia Counties led to half a dozen crashes and forced part of Inter...

NESCOPECK TOWNSHIP -- State police say a snow squall Saturday morning in Luzerne and Columbia Counties led to half a dozen crashes and forced part of Interstate 80 to be shut down.

The interstate has since reopened, but on Saturday morning it was very difficult to get through the area.

Troopers say a snow squall iced up the highway causing around a dozen vehicles to crash.

"It's a little scary seeing everyone coming around the corner sliding sideways," said one driver.

A pre-dawn snow squall caused a load of trouble for drivers on Interstate 80 near Berwick. Troopers said around a dozen vehicles, including a number of big rigs, crashed in the hills of western Luzerne County.

"Just started shouting back on the radio for everybody to slow down. Thank God everybody was listening," said Tom Dominello, a truck driver.

A dump truck tumbled and a FedEx truck skidded sideways as conditions appeared to keep getting worse.

"When you come up on something like this, it really comes up so fast there is nothing you can do. All you can do is just don't panic."

Correy Husted of Altoona felt his car slide.

"Not good, I was going slow, still lost control, hit a tractor trailer," Husted said.

The chain of wrecks forced state police to shut down the highway.

After he says he was hit by a grocery truck, George Knapp waited for help.

"I tried to get out and walk. There's people falling down and stuff, so I got back in the car," said George Knapp of Mifflinville.

As the sun rose, help arrived. The squall only left behind an inch or two of snow, but it took hours to get things back to normal.

Dennis Gray of Hot Springs, Arkansas hoped the weather holds so he can haul Hershey's chocolate to Mississippi.

"No more ice, that's the main thing. Keep the road safe for us," said Gray.

State police say despite all of the crashes, no one was seriously hurt.

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