Pileup Involving Dozens of Cars Shuts Pennsylvania Interstate Amid Strong Winds

by Elizabeth Chuck and Emmanuelle Saliba

A pileup involving more than 50 cars shut down a highway outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, amid strong winds and poor visibility, officials said.
The accident Saturday morning closed all lanes on both sides of Interstate 78 in Lebanon County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said.

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a crash near Fredericksburg, Pa., on Feb. 13, 2016. State police say a pileup has closed Interstate 78 in central Pennsylvania.

State police told NBC News "over 50" vehicles were involved in the pileup, and said there were injuries, but did not say how many. A spokeswoman at Penn State Hershey Medical Center said 10 adult patients had been sent there, three of whom had critical injuries.
NBC affiliate WGAL reported the crash was fatal, but did not say how many victims there were. State police would not confirm any deaths to NBC News
.
Winds of at least 30 mph were blowing at the time of the crash, according to The Weather Channel, and visibility was less than 2 miles.
Earlier Saturday, the National Weather Service issued several alerts about snow squalls in the Philadelphia area. Lebanon County is about 100 miles west of Philadelphia.

Emergency personnel carry someone away from a crash scene near Fredericksburg, Pa., on Feb. 13, 2016. State police say a pileup has closed Interstate 78 in central Pennsylvania. Daniel Zampogna / PennLive.com via AP

Ashley Fisher told NBC News that she was driving toward Allentown with her two daughters when they got caught in a snowstorm and were turned around by law enforcement.
"The snow just started and it was a total whiteout. The car in front of us just disappeared," she later said. "We were able to stop, but a couple cars slid and hit the shoulder."
Once the snow started to dissipate, she said, she noticed the entire westbound side was "just a mess."
Pennsylvania State Police said a detour had been put into place during the interstate's closing.