Trucks Collide Close Stretch of I-78 During AM Rush

The crash of two trucks stopped rush hour traffic on Interstate 78 in Berks County for awhile this morning. Officials say a tractor trailer and a smaller truck hauling a trailer collided in the eastbound lanes of the bridge over the Schuylkill River between the Route 61 and Hamburg exits in Tilden Township. Police say the smaller truck had just come off the ramp from 61 when he was struck from behind by the tractor trailer. The smaller truck then struck the concrete median and rolled onto its right side. It was then pushed about 400 feet by the tractor trailer. The driver of the smaller truck, 53-year-old Rodney Hummel of Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill County, was injured. State Police cited the driver of the tractor trailer for driving at an excessive speed. The eastbound lanes of the highway were shut down between Exit 23 (Shartlesville) and Exit 35 (Route 143) for about two-and-a-half hours. The accident also caused a significant gaper delay in the wesbound lanes of I-78 and slowed traffic on Route 61.Source