Pennsylvania Turnpike Accidents

Bright-yellow call boxes, emblazoned with the word "HELP" in large red letters, are positioned at one-mile intervals along both sides of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. These emergency call boxes have given distressed or disabled motorists from a personal injury on Pennsylvania Turnpike a direct link to the Turnpike’s Operations Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Since the turnpike’s construction in 1940, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has become a symbol of national pride and home to many motor vehicle Pennsylvania Turnpike accidents like this recent one: a Greyhound bus bound for St. Louis from New York City flipped on its side, briefly trapping a woman and causing personal injuries to two dozen people, authorities said. Twenty to 25 personal  injuries were reported, turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said. State police were investigating what caused the crash.

Negligence and Pennsylvania Accidents


As with other types of Pennsylvania Turnpike accidents, figuring out who is at fault in an accident on Pennsylvania Turnpike is a matter of deciding who was negligent. Often, it can seem obvious whether a driver acted carelessly, but it’s not as obvious what rule or rules a person violated. PA injury lawyer, Seeger Weiss, looks at number of sources to help clients confirm who was at fault. They know what the courts will look at—and do the legwork for their personal injury clients. For instance, courts look at these factors:
  • Disobeying traffic signs or signals
  • Failing to signal while turning
  • Driving above or below the posted speed limit
  • Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Turnpike Stays Updated to Reduce Pennsylvania Turnpike Accidents


Pennsylvania Turnpike planners predicted that 1.3 million vehicles would use the turnpike each year, but early actual usage was 2.4 million vehicles, sometimes as many as 10,000 vehicles per day were recorded.

When the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened for business on October 1, 1940, it was just 160 miles long stretching from Carlisle to Irwin. It included two-lane tunnels at Laurel Hill, Allegheny, Ray's Hill, Sideling Hill, Tuscarora, Kittatinny and Blue Mountain. Rapidly increasing traffic volumes have warranted the need for more safety improvements to reduce Pennsylvania accidents and avoidable personal injuries.  Improvements over the years have included better pavement drainage and stabilization, a 300-foot right-of-way, a 60-foot median, computerized toll booths, plazas moved back away from the road, and curves added to the boring, straight stretches. Plus, the turnpike's tunnels were improved with widening and lighting. All of which, have helped curb the rise in personal injuries.

If you’re a victim of a accident or personal injury, see if pursuing compensation makes sense. 

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