CLEARFIELD – The driver of a tractor-trailer, which struck a house in Lawrence Township, was rescued after being trapped for 90 minutes.
According to reports from GANT News correspondents at the scene and officials from the Lawrence Township Police and Fire Departments, at 5:51 p.m. Tuesday, a tractor-trailer struck a brick house at 201 Race St.
The tractor-trailer struck the side of the house, which is located in close proximity to Route 322 at the bottom of Rockton Mountain. The residents were not at the house at the time of the accident.
The vehicle hit the side of the house, then became entrapped at the front of the house. The driver was “heavily entrapped” inside the cab of the truck and multiple fire companies, along with police and EMS crews worked for an hour-and-a-half to free the driver.
The driver, Darryl L. Hill, 55, of Philadelphia, was taken to Penn Highlands Clearfield, then later flown to a nearby trauma center for undisclosed injuries. Residents in the area of the accident said they were without power for several hours.
Witnesses at the accident said the truck was hauling eggs.
This is not the first time a tractor-trailer has struck houses at this same location. In July of 2007, a tractor-trailer hauling a load of bacon missed the pull-off on Route 322 at the top of Rockton Mountain, where drivers are required to pull over and put any heavy vehicles into low- or reduced-gear. The driver missed the pull-off due to heavy traffic because Interstate 80 was closed due to an unrelated accident.
The truck lost its brakes and struck three houses at the same Race Street location. The truck sideswiped the first house, crashed through the second house and into the third house, where the cab became trapped inside the basement. It took rescue crews several hours to free the driver.
More information on this accident will be released as it becomes available.