PA Turnpike Closure Problematic for Truck Drivers Unable to Travel for Five Hours

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa — Earlier today, a tractor trailer rolled over on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near mile marker 130...which caused the roadway to be closed between Breezewood in Bedford County to New Stanton in Westmoreland County...a span of nearly 90 miles.

Both sides of the turnpike reopened shortly after 2 p.m. Monday afternoon after being closed for approximately five hours.

That caused huge problems for truck drivers like Dave Maze.

“There’s nothing I can do. I have to sit in it and wait," the Smith Transport trucker said. "I can’t go around it, I’m not paying for the fuel. The company tells me where I have to go. To go around the turnpike, it’s a lot of money. Especially with the fuel prices right now, it’s a lot of money.

And he says his wallet feels the impact too.

“I’m getting paid by the mile. If the turnpike is shut down and the truck’s not moving, I’m not getting paid,” he stated.

The truck driver in the crash suffered minor injuries, but a person was seriously injured in the cleanup process, and flown to a nearby hospital.

However, Maze says the issue wasn’t severe enough for financial compensation, as five hours could be spent just sitting in traffic.

“If it was an extreme shutdown, they’d probably give me something. That’s really not my fault. But for five hours of sitting there? Most likely not.”

Still no word on the injured person's condition.

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