Family and their dog, truck driver killed in RV-tractor trailer crash on I-81 in Pennsylvania

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Five people and one dog were killed in a crash Wednesday night on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania, authorities said.

The crash occurred at about 8:50 p.m. when a recreational vehicle (RV), which was towing a trailer, blew its front left tire and crossed over a grassy median into the northbound lanes, where it collided head-on with a tractor-trailer that was towing two trailers.

All four passengers in the RV – a family – and their dog died in the crash. The driver of the tractor-trailer was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Pennsylvania State Police identified those killed in the RV as Donald Molander, Kimberly Molander, Miranda Molander and Dane Molander, all of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The tractor-trailer driver was identified as James Shade, of Martinsburg, West Virginia.

I-81 was shut down for nearly 10 hours overnight as authorities investigated and cleared the scene. The road re-opened Thursday morning.

The crash between the RV and tractor-trailer Wednesday was the second deadly crash this week on I-81 in Pennsylvania. Multiple people died in a charter bus crash^[1] that occurred just before midnight Sunday on I-81 in Lower Paxton Township, located about 10 miles northeast of Harrisburg.

References

1. ^{^} Multiple people died in a charter bus crash (www.cleveland.com)