A recreational vehicle (RV) collided head-on with a tractor-trailer in Pennsylvania, killing four occupants of the RV and the truck driver at the scene, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The trailer-towing RV reportedly sustained a tire blowout on northbound Interstate 81 near Chambersburg, crossed the grassy median and collided head-on with the truck at around 8:50 p.m. The truck was towing double trailers, The AP reported.
The names of the four deceased RV occupants were reportedly Donald Molander, Kimberly Molander, Miranda Molander and Dane Molander, all from Middletown, Pennsylvania. James Shade of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was the truck driver, the report noted. (RELATED: 11 Kids Hospitalized, 7 Critically Injured In School Bus Crash)
The crash occurred around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday on northbound Interstate 81 near Chambersburg.https://t.co/mRKg3uMIT7
— York Dispatch (@YorkDispatch) August 10, 2023
Investigators shut down the stretch of road for nearly 10 hours after the crash, with traffic delays lingering into early Thursday morning, per The AP.
The large size of RVs could pose the risk of a serious accident, with the face and head more prone to injury than other parts of the body, according to a Maryland law firm. However, the death rate from RV-involved accidents is reportedly lower than the average vehicle accident death rate and one-third of the death rate of other vehicles.