Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News

Corrections and clarifications: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly reported the accident happened in the eastbound lanes.

BETHEL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A pile-up on Interstate 78 that occurred during a blinding snow squall killed three people Saturday and sent other critically injured patients to area hospitals, authorities said.

The wrecks involving more than 50 vehicles happened around 9:45 a.m. ET in the westbound lanes, and the interstate was being closed in both directions between Exit 8 and the Interstate 81 interchange until at least midnight, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials.

The pileup left tractor-trailers, box trucks and cars tangled together across three traffic lanes and into the snow-covered median about 75 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Officials have been attempting to clear the scene as temperatures plunged into the single digits.

Three fatalities have been confirmed, said Trooper Justin Summa of Pennsylvania State Police. An unknown number of critically injured patients were flown to hospitals, and 40 more were transported via ambulance.

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Ten patients were brought from the crash to Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, about 25 miles away. Three were in critical condition, three with moderate to severe injuries and four with minor injuries, spokeswoman Megan Manlove said.

“It just turned real white,” said Raul Jardine of Allentown, adding that all he could see were the brake lights of the car in front of him, so he slowed down and was hit from behind.

The Jonestown Fire Department established a shelter for stranded motorists, and several busloads were transported there, Summa said.

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“We’re keeping them warm, keeping them fed and hopefully going to provide them with some rental cars,” he said.

The Penn State-Lehigh Valley men’s basketball team was heading to a game in New Kensington, Pa., when a tractor-trailer hit the team’s chartered bus, the university said. Officials said no one had serious injuries but some were being taken to a hospital as a precaution.

An emergency operations center was activated and a special response team was at Fort Indiantown Gap to deliver stockpiled supplies such as food and water if they are needed, said spokesman Cory Angell of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

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Angell said drivers were being urged to use caution due to extremely cold temperatures and blowing snow making roads hazardous even though they have been plowed.

“You could be driving down the interstate and all of a sudden conditions change because the winds are drifting the snow,” he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow the Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News on Twitter: @LDNews