A car traveling on an icy Tobacco Road between Old Akron and Pool roads in Earl Township went out of control and flipped onto its roof early Wednesday morning. The driver was taken to the hospital for examination, but did not appear to be seriously injured, according to observers at the scene of the crash.
Christmas Eve had a grim start as icy rain late Tuesday night and early Wednesday led to more than 150 crashes across the region, likely contributing to the deaths of three people, police said.
The most devastating weather-related wreck happened just outside the Lancaster County line.
A fiery crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Lebanon County killed three members of a Georgia family and seriously injured a fourth, police said.
The accident happened about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday in South Londonderry Township when a tractor-trailer struck a disabled pickup truck carrying the family, state police said.
The collision, at milepost 261.5 of the Turnpike, flipped the tractor-trailer and caused the family's pickup to catch fire, police said.
A passerby might have saved the life of a 2-year-old girl by pulling her from the Chevrolet Silverado before it burst into flames, according to investigators.
She was taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment of what were believed to be life-threatening injuries. Her parents and another child died on the highway, investigators said.
The names of the victims weren't released Wednesday.
The tractor-trailer driver — 54-year-old John Sellers of Dresher — wasn't hurt.
State police said the family's eastbound vehicle, pulling a U-Haul trailer, slid into a concrete median and came to rest on the highway. The crash disabled the vehicle's lights, police said.
The tractor-trailer struck the passenger side of the vehicle, according to police.
Elsewhere in Lancaster County, vehicles slid into poles, trees, waterways and onto medians and shoulders, according to police.
By noon Wednesday, police had responded to weather-related crashes in about two dozen municipalities.
Crashes involving tractor-trailers were reported in Brecknock, East Cocalico and Ephrata townships.
Other wrecks were reported in Drumore, Earl, East Drumore, East Lampeter, Fulton, Penn, Rapho, Salisbury, Upper Leacock and West Earl townships.
Several crashes were reported on Route 222, with the most serious occurring Wednesday morning in Ephrata Township. That two-vehicle crash, involving a tractor-trailer on Route 222 eastbound, was called in to 911 dispatchers at 9:25 a.m.
A small child was hurt when the vehicle carrying the child collided with the jackknifed rig, investigators said. A SkyCare medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene, but it was unclear if it landed at the crash site.
Farther from home, icy conditions were blamed for a 22-car pileup near Philadelphia early Wednesday. The crash, which initially involved a tanker truck and a bus, occurred on the Passyunk Avenue Bridge in South Philadelphia. The bridge was closed for several hours.
No serious injuries were reported.
About an hour later, a five-car crash was reported on southbound Interstate 95 in southwest Philadelphia, with a 10-vehicle pileup on a nearby southbound exit ramp. There also was a six-car accident in the city's East Falls neighborhood.
The icy precipitation gave way to all rain by mid-morning, and the entire mess slid east by nightfall.
As for Christmas, it will not be white, but neither will it be wet. Cloudy skies could yield to some sunlight, as temperatures are expected to climb to near 44 degrees, even though winds will make it feel 10 degrees cooler, according to AccuWeather.
Christmas night will see continued cloudiness, with a low of 22 degrees.
Friday will be similar to Thursday, with a high of 43 degrees expected. Some rain is expected to return Friday night, with the low temperature dipping to 34.
The weekend will see the mildest temperatures we've experienced since the mercury hit 50 degrees on Dec. 16.
While both Saturday and Sunday will be mostly cloudy, temperatures are expected to be in the low 50s. Showers are possible Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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