Major Car Crash In Pennsylvania Leaves 5 Dead, More Than 50 Injured

A multi-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike left five dead and 50 injured. The crash, which happened roughly 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, involved three tractor-trailer trucks, a bus and a standard passenger vehicle.

“We don't even have identities of some of those people because of the severity of the crash and how entangled the vehicles are,” State Trooper Stephen Limani said in a statement. “We're still out there working hard to get IDs on some of these individuals who have passed away. And obviously, there's a lot going on when it comes to identifying them and contacting their loved ones.”

The crash happened as the bus, operated by the Z&D Tours company in New Jersey, hit an embankment while taking a curve and flipped over. The three trucks involved in the crash were reportedly behind the bus at the time.

All those injured were taken to nearby hospitals and are expected to make full recoveries. Among the 11 taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, two were said to be in critical condition, while five have been released and four remain under care. All of the 18 victims that were taken to UPMC Somerset have been released, and the remaining 28 are being treated at Frick Hospital.

Among the dead were two UPS drivers, Daniel Kepner, 53, and Dennis Kehler, 48. Other victims included Shuang Qing Feng, 58, who was driving the bus, as well as Eileen Zelis Aria, 35, and a 9-year-old girl, both of whom were passengers on the bus that got ejected by the crash.

“Both were driving together in a tractor trailer vehicle out of our Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, operating center,” UPS said. “This is all of the information available at this time.”