PINE TOWNSHIP – A 55-year-old Chicago, IL man sustained major injuries after two commercial vehicles caught fire at 4:40 a.m. Thursday along Interstate 80 westbound at mile marker 111 in Pine Township, the Clearfield-based state police reported.
Eddie L. Courtney Jr., 55, of Chicago, IL was flown to the Altoona Hospital for medical treatment. It wasn’t indicated by state police if Courtney was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.
Yuriy Ivanov, 38, of Mayfield Heights, OH was traveling in the right-hand lane when he experienced difficulties with his freightliner, causing it to almost stop. The Courtney tractor-trailer was also traveling in the same lane and rear-ended the freightliner driven by Ivanov.
At that point, both caught fire; the Courtney tractor-trailer was a complete loss. The Ivanov freightliner sustained moderate damage. Both commercial vehicles were hauling trailers, which were total losses. Both commercial vehicles were removed from the scene.
Neither Ivanov nor his passenger Viktor Motryuk, 45, of Strongsville, OH were injured in the accident. Ivanov was cited for various vehicle code violations.
The accident remains under investigation at this time.
Photos provided by Elliott Neeper
