What to Know
- A woman lost control of her minivan just after 4 a.m. Tuesday on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 76. She died at the scene.
- The minivan flipped onto the westbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway. Passengers and the driver were ejected.
- A work van driver struck two people on the road but then drove off after getting out to look at the victims, state police say.
A deadly wreck where a minivan flipped from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes closed the busy Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) in Philadelphia for hours Tuesday morning.
The multi-vehicle wreck near Montgomery Drive brought traffic in both directions to a complete standstill around 4 a.m.
The 46-year-old Philadelphia woman at the wheel of the speeding minivan, which had five passengers inside when she lost control in the eastbound lanes and struck a Honda Civic, died after being ejected, state police said. Three of her passengers were also ejected and one suffered a critical injury.
The minivan wound up over the center concrete barrier and in the westbound lanes, police said.
Police are looking for the driver of a white work van, initially described as a pickup truck, which struck two of the crash victims on the westbound lanes after the crash. That driver, a clean-shaven man in his 20s or 30s, got out of his vehicle and took a look at the victims before jumping back in his van and speeding away, police said.
"He knowingly struck them, he returned to the scene" Trooper James Leitch said. "We have witnesses to put him at the scene and he later then fled the scene."
The van, possibly a Ram ProMaster, likely has damage to the front driver side and tire well area, police said.
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The crash scene was cleared after about four hours but gridlock continued as rush hour ramped up.
Four passengers in the minivan didn't suffer life-threatening injuries. The crash remained under investigation Tuesday morning.
Police urged the work van driver to reach out to them.
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run driver is asked to contact Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Martin Mack or Trooper Leitch at 215-452-5216.
Westbound traffic was being diverted onto the eastbound Vine Street Expressway (Interstate 676) until another wreck where a car slammed into a spun out vehicle closed the ramp to I-676.
It was unclear what injuries occurred in the I-676 crash, which was cleared by 9 a.m.
The best bet is to avoid the Schuylkill and Vine Street expressways, the river drives are options, and pack patience to get to work or school Tuesday morning.
A crash also snarled traffic on the way to Philadelphia International Airport as Interstate 95 southbound was closed at the Girard Point Bridge. The Platt Bridge could be used as an alternate route.
