NEW YORK — Rain “flash-freezing” left an icy glaze under feet and tires across much of the northeast Sunday, causing crashes that killed at least five people.
A crash involving 30 to 50 vehicles on Interstate 76 outside Philadelphia killed one person, and two others died in a crash on nearby Interstate 476, police said.
In Pennsylvania, a man was killed after his car overturned on an icy road. In Connecticut, police cited slippery conditions in a crash that killed an 88-year-old woman who struck a utility pole.
“This is the worst type of winter precipitation to combat because it can freeze instantly and it doesn’t need to be the whole pavement for vehicles crossing it to have problems,” said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation spokesman Eugene Blaum.
Kaitlyn Maier grew up in upstate New York but said that didn’t prepare her for the icy conditions she encountered in Philadelphia.
“I’ve driven through snow a lot, and this isn’t like anything I’ve ever driven in,” Maier said.
