Pennsylvania Pile-Up Leaves Many Drivers Stuck For Hours

Hundreds of cars piled up on the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the height of rush hour leaving the major U.S. highway shut down. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

It was a disaster some motorists will never forget. The pile-up involving hundreds of cars on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Philadelphia, happened during the Friday morning rush hour.

Bruce Gordon, a reporter with WTXF-TV said, "This, at it's worst, was a two mile stretch of vehicles scattered about like toys on the highway. We are told preliminarily, only 30 or so injuries, only about four of which were considered serious. We are not sure if those are life-threatening. Frankly, a miracle given the number of vehicles and the extent of the damage on the highway."

INSIDE EDITION spoke to Steven Pope Coney who was in the middle of the terrifying chaos. The 29-year-old was on his way to work when his red car plowed into a truck.  

Coney said, "I tapped my brakes lightly, because you are not supposed to slam on your brakes. That didn't work. I tried to pull the emergency brake and I ended up doing a 360. All of a sudden, I saw a tractor trailer lose control and jackknife. The back end of the truck smashed into the front of my car."

Twenty-four-year-old Pedro Leal has been trapped in the pile-up since 8 a.m. Friday morning.

INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd asked him, "Some people have suggested that drivers were going too fast considering the conditions. Did you see that?"

He said, "There were a lot of people that were flying by, that is for sure. I know that the speed restriction was lifted for some reason early this morning, and I am not sure why."

In a video shot last December in Wisconsin, it displayed how quickly massive collisions can happen. It looked like a demolition derby.

As for the unfortunate people on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, they found themselves trapped for hours on end. Some passed the time playing hockey on the icy highway. Others walked their dogs. A horrible situation for so many, but at least they made it through it without injury.