Two truck drivers died in an accident on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike just before midnight Monday, state police reported.
The accident, which occurred in Lower Milford Township in Lehigh County, closed the northbound lanes from the Quakertown exit to the Allentown exit until about 6 a.m. yesterday.
A tractor-trailer had become disabled and stopped in the northbound right lane, police said, when it was rear-ended by another tractor-trailer.
The driver of the disabled truck was identified by state police as Lyle Durham, 68, of Fulton, N.Y. The identity of the second driver was withheld, pending notification of next of kin. Police did not release the names of their employers.
The tractor of the first rig was parked on the shoulder, state police said, but its trailer was still on the road. The reason that the truck had become disabled was unknown.
Police said the second tractor-trailer hit the left rear of the stopped trailer, pushing it onto the embankment, where the stopped tractor caught fire.
The second tractor wound up on the embankment, but its two trailers remained on the road.
Southbound traffic was diverted at the Allentown exit until the southbound lanes were reopened at 3 a.m. yesterday.
Contact staff writer Walter F. Naedele at 215-345-7768 or at wnaedele@phillynews.com.
