Snow and ice turned a normal Friday morning into a nightmare on Interstate 79 in Butler County, where 18‑year‑old Evan Gingo of Pittsburgh died and nine others were hurt in a massive 25‑vehicle crash, authorities said Friday. The wreck happened northbound near Jackson Township and snarled traffic for hours as emergency crews worked to clear the scene.
State police say the crash started around 10:30 a.m. when rapidly changing winter road conditions caused cars, trucks and tractor‑trailers to slide out of control on the slick pavement. Gingo, a young man with his whole life ahead of him, was killed in the wreck. Nine other people were taken to local hospitals with injuries that authorities have not yet detailed.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic and frightening scenes as vehicles slammed into one another again and again. Wendy Graff, who was riding in a dump truck with her husband, told reporters that cars and big rigs were strewn across the snowy highway and even perched on the hillside. She said the roads seemed fine in Cranberry, then suddenly turned to ice that sent her own rig sliding for hundreds of feet before she and her husband could stop.
Another driver, Cassandra Summerill of Harmony, said she hit a patch of black ice at the top of a hill and saw cars spin and crash in front of her. “All you could hear was boom after boom after boom,” she told news crews. Summerill, her brother and her 1‑year‑old child managed to escape by finding a gap in the wreckage and exiting the highway.
The crash wasn’t just the 25 vehicles directly involved. State police said at least 20 more cars were left stranded on the icy interstate, trapped behind the jam and unable to move. First responders had to use tools like the jaws of life to free people pinned in their vehicles as crews fought the cold and the chaos.
Interstate 79 was closed in both directions between Exit 78 and Exit 88 for nearly six hours as tow trucks, ambulances and police worked the scene. Detours sent drivers onto State Route 19 through Zelienople, resulting in heavy delays and frustrated commuters stuck far longer than they’d planned on a Friday afternoon.
Pennsylvania State Police continue investigating how the pileup unfolded in such a short time, and what role weather conditions played. For now, friends and family of Evan Gingo are left grieving, while fellow drivers recount a morning they’ll never forget — a reminder of how quickly winter roads can turn dangerous.
