NORTHUMBERLAND — One man died and there were several injuries in the accidents on the Barry King Bridge Friday near Northumberland. Point Township police conducted the investigation and tell WKOK, the 10:20am crash happened when one car crossed the center-line of the bridge and ran head-on into a tractor-trailer.
No names are being disclosed yet–police say the driver who died was 28-years-old and his name is being withheld pending notification of family. They say he was initially taken to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, then pronounced dead at the hospital. Why he crossed the center-line of the road is not known. The trucker from Port Trevorton wasn’t injured.
After that crash, another chain-reaction crash happened near the entrance to the bridge. No further details are out yet on that, but earlier today witnesses said a tractor-trailer traveling south on Route 11, approaching the bridge, apparently didn’t see the stopped traffic and couldn’t stop before hitting cars, and driving onto the sewer plant construction site on the opposite side of the road. There may have been injuries in that accident.
The bridge was closed from 10:30am to 3pm and traffic was gridlocked through Northumberland and Sunbury. Police say more information will be released later.
