Two teens and two children were seriously injured after they were ejected from a vehicle following a crash that shut down the Northeast Extension for hours on Sunday.
A 31-year-old Philadelphia man was driving a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria sedan northbound in the left lane of I-476 around 3 p.m.
As he tried to pass another vehicle, the man's sedan struck the center median barrier wall, traveled back across the right lane onto the right shoulder and then crashed into the guiderail on the east side of the roadway. The vehicle then spun and struck the metal guiderail again, traveled back across the northbound lanes and struck the center median barrier a final time before coming to a rest in the right lane.
Two teens, ages 17 and 15, and two children, both 12-years of age, who were passengers inside the vehicle, were ejected onto the roadway. Police say none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts.
A Lansdale woman who did not want to be identified told NBC10 she was in the southbound lanes of I-476 when the crash occurred. She climbed over the barrier and helped the injured victims along with at least nine other Good Samaritans.
The woman said she and at least four of the other Good Samaritans had experience in emergency responses and stayed with the victims until medics arrived.
Two of the victims suffered critical injuries and were flown by medical helicopter to the Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Hospital while the other two victims were taken via ambulance and treated for serious injuries. The driver also suffered a minor injury in the crash while a fifth passenger, a 21-year-old man, was not hurt.
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All northbound lanes were closed on I-476 northbound between Lansdale and Quakertown for several hours before they reopened around 10:45 p.m.
Officials continue to investigate the crash.
