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A dangerous stretch of Interstate 81 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, saw its second serious crash in less than 24 hours Sunday night — just one day after a deadly, fiery wreck shut down the highway in the same area.
According to PennDOT, the second crash happened a little after 7 p.m. on Sunday (March 1) along I-81 southbound, near mile marker 59 in Hampden Township — close to where the highway meets State Route 581.
Two vehicles collided in the crash. One ended up in the median, while the other went down a hill. People in the vehicle that went down the hill were trapped inside, but firefighters were able to free them and hand them over to emergency medical crews. The conditions of everyone involved remain unknown.
Left lanes in both directions of I-81 were temporarily shut down following the crash but have since reopened.
The Sunday night wreck came less than 24 hours after a much more serious accident struck the same stretch of highway. As reported by ABC27, a fiery crash with entrapment broke out on I-81 northbound near mile marker 59 on Saturday (February 28) at around 7:30 p.m. One person died as a result of that crash.
CBS 21 reported that I-81 North remained closed for roughly three hours Saturday night while the vehicle was removed and a reconstruction of the crash was completed. PennDOT also temporarily closed the ramp from 581 West to I-81 South after a vehicle struck a beam underneath. An assessment team later confirmed there was no structural damage to the bridge or its beams.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating both crashes. No further details about the victims or the causes of either crash have been released at this time.