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Breaking News
Accident Involving Tractor Trailer and Passenger Van in Pennsylvania
Aired August 21, 2001 - 10:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're continuing to follow the breaking news out of Chester County, Pennsylvania. We're going to take you back there live, where there was a accident involving a tractor trailer and a passenger van. We are told right now that it has been confirmed that one person is dead, another seriously injured.
Right now, firefighters are working to extract, as you can see by the pictures here, someone inside the cab of that tractor trailer.
We are going to go live now to Patty Mains. She's the public relation's officer for the Chester County Emergency Services.
Patty, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us right now if there person inside of the cab is alive?
PATTY MAINS, CHESTER CO. EMERGENCY SERVICES: No, I can't. I am sorry, Kyra. I am not at scene, I'm in Westchester, and I haven't been told, been confirmed about the injuries at this time.
PHILLIPS: OK, while we are watching the firefighters here trying to extract this person, can you tell us about the deceased. Was it the person driving the van, or someone else in the tractor trailer?
MAINS: I am sorry, no, I can't.
PHILLIPS: So you can't confirm any casualties at this point.
MAINS: No, I can't confirm any kinds of casualties, injuries or deaths, or any of that.
PHILLIPS: OK, Patty, we are told it's 55 gallon drums of corrosive materials that this tractor trailer was carrying. Do you know what was inside those drums or if indeed something has spilled?
MAINS: The hazmat emergency team is on the scene at this time. I was told that there was a drum leaking of possibly of a pool chemical-type substance. I haven't been told exactly what the substance was.
PHILLIPS: Can you tell us how this accident happened, Patty?
MAINS: I was told that the tractor trailer and the passenger van hit head on. As far as how it actually happened, the police department is still investigating.
PHILLIPS: We were looking -- we had a wider picture not along ago from this helicopter shot -- that looks like the tractor trailer came over an embankment. Is that what happened? We are trying to put it in relation to where the highway is?
MAINS: The pictures I saw, it looked like the tractor trailer swerved off to the side of the road and slipped over onto the embankment. I believe he was going southbound.
PHILLIPS: And is the 202 still been shut down, route 202, northbound and southbound?
MAINS: As far as I know, yes. Northbound at route 100 and closed at southbound at route 130.
PHILLIPS: All right, Patty Mains, public relations for Chester County Emergency Services, thank you very much. And I can tell you here at CNN, we will continue to follow this breaking news story and indeed tell you what firefighters are looking for, and if indeed there is a survivor inside that cab.
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