5 people killed by tractor trailer after leaving vehicles on snowy Pennsylvania highway

SCRANTON, Pa.– Five people were struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 81 in snowy northeastern Pennsylvania after they exited their vehicles following another crash, state police said Wednesday.

A minivan lost control and struck a median on the northbound highway in Lackawanna County around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Four people got out of the van, as well as a person who followed them in a separate car, police said. All were hit by the passing tractor.

The coroner, several fire departments and state police responded. County Coroner Timothy Rowland told WNEP-TV that all five people were from upstate New York.

No further information was immediately available.

A winter weather advisory was in effect for the area until 4 p.m. Tuesday, with several inches of snow dropping in the afternoon. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous road conditions in freezing temperatures, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation advised motorists to use caution.

A truck driver traveling in the same direction hours later, Janet Pohoda, said the roads were slick from snow, WNEP reported.

“It’s sad, but I would tell them to get off the road tonight until the roads are in better condition, you know, and there’s more clarity,” she said.