Tractor-trailer flips, injures 1 on I-79 in Washington County

One person was injured Wednesday afternoon when a tractor-trailer carrying cardboard overturned on Interstate 79 near the I-70 interchange in Washington County.

State police said the rig was traveling north on I-79 around 3:45 p.m. when the driver lost control around a bend in the road near mile marker 34 and hit a cement barrier, overturning.

“As the cabin laid on its side, the trailing unit was suspended over the cement barrier and sky bridge,” police said in a news release. “Parts from the commercial vehicle fell onto the grass area just off the roadway of Interstate 70.”

The driver was able to escape and was treated for suspected minor injuries. A Washington County 911 dispatch supervisor said there was a minor fuel leak.

South Strabane Fire Chief Jordan Cramer told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI that he was concerned about safety on this portion of the road.

“This is just an area of roadway that we know has the potential for this to happen,” he said. “Had he been carrying a different load, a heavier load of materials in the back, we’d probably be having a very different conversation right now.”

Because of the crash, the westbound off-ramp from I-70 to I-79 southbound and the ramp from I-79 northbound to I-70 westbound were temporarily closed.

State police said the truck had been removed and all emergency crews had cleared the scene by about 6:40 p.m. The driver is being cited for failing to properly negotiate a left curve.