Turnpike Wreck Brings Morning Commute to Crawl

The morning commute was brought to a crawl for thousands of drivers who pass through the busy area where the Schuylkill Expressway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (both I-76) meet at the Valley Forge/King of Prussia interchange.

A tractor-trailer hauling a containerized shipping unit like the ones carried on ocean-going cargo ships flipped on its side on the on ramp from Valley Forge to the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Crews from Berwyn, Radnor, King of Prussia, Norristown and other Montgomery County fire and rescue companies responded to the scene of the wreck, which happened around 7:15 a.m.

The driver was pulled from the crushed cab and airlifted to the emergency crew. Crews then needed until about 11:15 a.m. to get the trailer uprighted and the ramp back opened to trafffic.

The crash caused huge back ups on I-76 through the King of Prussia, Tredyffrin and surrounding areas as well as bringing westbound traffic on the Turnpike to a virtual standstill at the height of the morning rush hour.

A report on NBCPhiladephia.com quotes police who say the truck was hauling "40 pallets of a powdery substance called Gistex that is used in sodas and some foods."

The NBC10 News report identified the driver as Stephen Andriso.

According to the NBC 10 report, Andriso was alert but trapped for almost two hours after crashing around 7:15 a.m. 

State police say he was airlifted to the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania with non-life-threatening injuries.

A separate, and unrelated accident on I-476 near the mid-county interchange added to the morning commuter headaches in the region.  Both roads were clear by noon, in time for the Friday afternoon rush hour.