Wreck closes Route 30
By Janet Kelley
Lancaster New Era

Published: Jun 23, 2005 12:56 PM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - An early morning crash on Route 30 in West Hempfield Township caused a day’s worth of headaches for motorists, residents and especially emergency workers.Around 6 a.m. today, police said, a three-vehicle collision sent a tractor-trailer truck carrying propane crashing across the highway, blocking both east and westbound lanes of Route 30 near Stony Battery Road.

None of the three drivers suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

Some residents along the stretch of highway were asked to stay inside or evacuate their homes as a precaution, police said, in case of an explosion while the propane tank was being removed from the highway.

While ambulance personnel tended to the injured motorists and volunteer firefighters tried to reroute traffic, morning commuter traffic started to pile up in both directions.

“As bad as the situation is,’’ West Hempfield Township Police Chief Mark Pugliesi said from the scene mid-morning, “it could’ve been a lot worse.’’

As the lines of traffic got longer, tempers got shorter, one driver said, as motorcyclists and other vehicles managed to escape by weaving around the other cars and trucks, driving around on the berm and off the grassy sides of the highway.

Police tried to tend to a number of fender-bender collisions involving other motorists who crashed while looking at or trying to avoid the main accident.

Meanwhile, Pugliesi and his police officers, were trying to focus on the serious accident and safely clearing the wreckage.

Although the propane tank did not leak, Pugliesi said, emergency officials asked a small number of residents in Mountville and West Hempfield Township to evacuate and others to stay inside their homes when the tanker was lifted onto another truck and removed from the highway.

The Lancaster Emergency Management Agency and local American Red Cross volunteers set up a temporary shelter for residents at the Mountville Fire Hall, as well as providing food and beverages for firefighters.

Today’s problems first began in the westbound lane, just past the Stony Battery Road interchange, police said, when a sport utility vehicle, driven by Paul Mazmania, collided with a van driven by David Fisher of Leacock Township.

The collision of those two westbound vehicles, Pugliesi said, caused a westbound tractor-trailer truck hauling 9,000 pounds of liquid propane to veer out of control.

The truck, driven by Earl Fryberger of Coatesville, crashed through the guide rails, landing on its side and blocking both eastbound lanes.

The cab of the truck “came off and just disintegrated,’’ during the crash, Pugliesi said.

Luckily, both Fryberger and the drivers of the two smaller vehicles were not seriously hurt, police said, and no eastbound vehicles crashed into the disabled truck lying on the highway.

Fryberger was taken to Lancaster General Hospital, where a spokeswoman said he was listed in good condition later this morning.

Mazmania suffered moderate injuries, police said, and Fisher was not hurt.

While the propane tank did not leak, Pugliesi said, the truck’s diesel fuel did, and the county’s Hazardous Materials Team was dispatched to the scene.

All surrounding volunteer fire departments were also summoned to the scene to help direct traffic, clear the wreckage and clean up the spilled fuel.

Pugliesi said he expected both lanes of the Route 30 highway “to be closed at least through the evening rush hour.’’

On Tuesday night, in Ephrata Township, four people were injured in a head-on collision.

Police said that shortly before 7 p.m., a 16-year-old Newmanstown boy was driving south on Royer Road when he passed another vehicle and crashed into an oncoming car driven by Holly Keim.

Keim, 26, of Glenwood Drive, Ephrata, and her passengers, Michael Schmidt, and their 3-year-old son, Tyler, were all taken to Lancaster General Hospital where they were listed in fair condition today.

The teenage driver was taken to Ephrata Community Hospital for observation and was later released.

Around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said a load of poles shifted on a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck driven by Charles W. Martin, causing him to lose control of the vehicle on Route 322 in Earl Township.

Martin, 38, of 1080 Forrest Hill Road, Stevens, was uninjured, New Holland police said, but the vehicle went off the road, through a fence and over a small embankment.

The poles scattered across the highway, police said, and Martin’s truck had to be pulled out of the field.