Crash involving tractor-trailer and minivan closes Route 30 near Abbottstown

Harrison Jones, York Daily Record
Updated ·3 min read

A man was airlifted with life-threatening injuries after being trapped inside a minivan after a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Route 30 near Abbottstown, Adams County, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 11:18 a.m. on the 6700 block of York Road, U.S. Route 30, in Berwick Township on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, according to Adams County dispatch records.

A heavily damaged minivan is seen at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
A heavily damaged minivan is seen at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

The crash was located in front of the Bridges Golf Club, which at the time happened to be preparing for a firefighter golf tournament.

United Hook & Ladder Fire Chief Steve Rabine, the area's fire chief, told the Evening Sun that he and many other firefighters were at the Bridges Golf Club for their department's annual golf tournament fundraiser when the crash occurred in front of the golf course.

A large debris field is seen at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
A large debris field is seen at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

"We were all getting ready for the golf tournament," Rabine said, "and then I heard a bang."

Many on the golf course originally believed the sound was thunder, Rabine said, but soon realized there had been a crash.

Golfers at the Bridges Golf Course look towards a medical helicopter on the green at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
Golfers at the Bridges Golf Course look towards a medical helicopter on the green at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

Firefighters from the golf course raced out to the road and found one male driver entrapped in a minivan that had collided with a tractor-trailer, Rabine said.

Fire apparatus from United Hook & Ladder responded to the scene, and firefighters were able to extricate the victim from the mangled wreckage in about 35 minutes using hydraulic rescue tools, Rabine said.

Firefighters had to perform a dash lift to lift the dashboard off the victim, as well as remove multiple doors on the vehicle.

A passenger in the vehicle was transported to Hanover Hospital, Rabine said, and the driver was airlifted to York Hospital.

Golfers watch a medical helicopter take off on the golf course at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
Golfers watch a medical helicopter take off on the golf course at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

No one was injured in the tractor-trailer, Rabine confirmed.

According to a release by Pennsylvania State Police, a minivan was traveling north on Route 30 when it swerved into the oncoming lane of travel and was struck head-on by a tractor-trailer.

While Route 30 runs east-west, the section of Route 30 where the crash occurred runs northeast-southwest, with the police release likely reflecting the compass direction.

Multiple witnesses told the Evening Sun the tractor-trailer was westbound, putting the minivan eastbound for a head-on collision.

The driver of the minivan sustained life-threatening injuries, the release said, and the passenger of the minivan sustained minor injuries.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police release, the crash is indicated to involve driving under the influence.

After the vehicles collided, a massive debris field was strewn across hundreds of feet of Route 30. The tractor-trailer continued down Route 30 and crashed into an embankment a couple hundred feet down the road.

Fuel was leaking from a saddle tank of the tractor-trailer, Rabine said, and firefighters were able to contain the spill and mitigate it.

Rabine noted that this stretch of Route 30 is a hotspot for crashes.

Emergency crews transport a patient to a medical helicopter at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
Emergency crews transport a patient to a medical helicopter at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

"We usually have some bad crashes in this area," Rabine said, attributing many to the passing area that ends nearby.

It was not yet clear if the passing area, or a work zone not far down the road, was involved in the crash. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash.

A medical helicopter sits in a golf course next to a wrecked tractor-trailer at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.
A medical helicopter sits in a golf course next to a wrecked tractor-trailer at the scene where a man was heavily entrapped inside a minivan after a crash on Route 30, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Berwick Township.

While the helicopter waited on the golf course before taking off, golfers looked on from golf carts and the driving range.

Route 30 is closed between Kinneman Road and Cross Keys (Carlisle Pike). The extensive debris field will keep the roadway shut down for some time.

The Adams County Coroner's office was notified about the crash due to its severity, but no victims have died in the crash as of 3:15 p.m. Friday, the coroner's office confirmed.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Crash involving tractor-trailer closes Route 30 near Abbottstown PA