UPDATE: Preliminary Investigation Reveals Driver In Crash That Caused I-95 Shutdown Fell Asleep At The Wheel
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A tractor trailer accident caused major problems for anyone heading to shore towns in Delaware or Maryland on Friday.
Southbound I-95 was closed at Exit 5 Route 141, just south of I-495 in Wilmington, due to an overturned UPS truck. The tractor trailer crash happened at about 4:08 a.m.
Police say Phillip Bates, 45, of York, Pa.; was operating a UPS tractor trailer traveling from the I-295 southbound merge onto I-95 South when the truck traveled off the road into the right shoulder of the 295 merge. The passenger side struck the guardrail and the tractor trailer continued southbound before overturning onto its left side, sliding to a stop and crossing and blocking the I-95 South lanes.
A 2010 Mercedes Benz sedan operated by Wai Phoon, and 80-year-old from Berwyn, was unable to stop and struck the under carriage of the truck.
Bates, the truck driver, was trapped in the wreckage for approximately one hour and was extricated by fire and EMS personnel. He was transported to Christiana Trauma Center and admitted with non-life threatening injuries.
Wai Phoon, the driver of the Mercedes, was also taken to Christiana with non-life threatening injuries.
A preliminary investigation indicates that Bates fell asleep while driving. He was issued a citation for Inattentive Driving.
The tractor trailer was removed from the scene and the two lefts lanes of traffic were reopened at about 8:30 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation.
For the latest on the roads, go to the CBS Philly Traffic Page.
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