A seven-vehicle chain-reaction crash on northbound Interstate 81 in Cumberland County killed one woman and critically injured two other people on Friday morning, October 23, according to Pennsylvania State Police reports carried by WGAL, FOX43, ABC27, PennLive and WJAC. The crash happened at about 7:14 a.m. near mile marker 47 in South Middleton Township.
Source: WGAL / FOX43 / PennLive reports indexed on Roadnow I-81 news
State police said a tractor-trailer driven by David Rodis Lynn III, of Round Rock, Texas, failed to stop for slowing traffic and struck a vehicle, triggering the chain reaction. The tractor-trailer and another vehicle caught fire during the collision. Other people involved were taken to Holy Spirit Hospital and UPMC Carlisle for treatment, the reports said.
The Cumberland County Coroner's Office identified the woman who died as Jessica Moore, 36, of Newville. Her cause of death remains pending, with an autopsy scheduled for Tuesday, the reports said. Police said Lynn has been charged with homicide by motor vehicle in connection with the crash. That charge is an allegation and has not been proven in court.
Interstate 81 northbound was closed between Exit 47 and Exit 52 while crews responded and investigators examined the scene, and it reopened more than eight hours later. A separate crash had been reported in the same area at about 5 a.m. that morning. I-81 is a major trucking corridor through central Pennsylvania, and the closure caused long delays for commercial and passenger traffic.