Semi rollover restricts I-77 traffic for five hours near Strasburg
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The State Highway Patrol says it took approximately five hours to clear the scene of a semi rollover on I-77 south between Bolivar and Strasburg this morning.
Trooper Ryan Rainsberger says the accident happened at about 5:20 a.m. when the semi initially went off the right side of the road, causing its load to shift. The semi then crossed the lanes and went off the left side of the road, where it tipped onto its side.
Rainsberger says troopers are unsure why the semi lost control in the first place.
“(The driver) stated he hit a pothole, but there wasn’t any pothole in that area,” Rainsberger said.
Rainsberger says crews had the left lane of I-77 closed at the crash site until about 10:30 am. The semi’s trailer was carrying rolls of paper weighing 7,000 pounds that stayed contained to the trailer as it fell.
“Once the trailer was on its left side, they had to offload the paper to upright the trailer,” he said.
The driver declined to be taken to the hospital for injuries that were described as minor. He was cited for failure to control and for not wearing a seatbelt.