Multiple motor vehicle accidents, occurring almost simultaneously along Interstate 78, between the top of South Mountain and Cedar Crest Boulevard during a heavy downpour around noon May 28, brought eastbound and westbound traffic to a halt, throwing heavy traffic onto secondary roads and snarling traffic for hours.

The most serious of the accidents involved a semi-trailer which struck the median barrier and jackknifed while traveling westbound between Lehigh Street and Cedar Crest Boulevard.

Western Salisbury Fire Department Chief Joshua Wells, the initial first responder at the scene, reported to the Lehigh County 911 Center the cab of the tractor trailer broke into a number of pieces with debris and a heavy coating of fuel oil stretching along about 100 yards of the interstate.

Knowing Western Salisbury and Eastern Salisbury fire crews were still tied up with an earlier fuel spill at the Paragon Transit school bus facility at the intersection of East Emmaus and Gaskell avenues, Wells established command, assessed the magnitude of the accident and diesel spill and asked for a spill response from the Emmaus Fire Department and the South Whitehall Fire Department's Woodlawn Station and PennDOT crews.

Further ahead, closer to Cedar Crest Boulevard, another jackknifed semi broke through the center barrier and stopped eastbound traffic.

Police and fire police started diverting traffic from entry ramps north and south of the traffic tie-up and secondary arteries began to clog with motorists seeking a way around problem areas.

A number of semi-trailers and passenger vehicles following behind the westbound vehicle spilling the oil stopped to avoid the debris and became marooned in the oil slick, unable to gain traction in the passing lane to get around the wreck in the travel lane and along the shoulder.

While Emmaus and Woodlawn crews struggled to contain the oil spill along the roadway, it became apparent to Wells the spill was directly above the Little Lehigh watershed below, along Fish Hatchery Road.

A check of the area below the interstate showed an additional response was needed along Fish Hatchery Road to keep fuel reaching storm drains from getting in the waterway.

That further complicated traffic problems of motorists seeking detours around the closed interstate.

While Emmaus and Woodlawn firefighters applied absorbent material around the wreck, several heavy-duty tow trucks removed parts of the wreck, opening the passing lane to the vehicles marooned in the oil slick.

Pennsylvania State Police kept stalled traffic back while additional absorbent material was applied to the slick area, and a PennDOT sand truck was brought in to spread traction material and allow state police to open the roadway for the numerous motorists at a standstill behind the wreck.

Fire personnel had to turn back motorists who abandoned their vehicles to walk along the roadway to try for a closer look at what was keeping them stranded.

Traffic slowly began to move through the oil spill area about 2:30 p.m., but lane closings and road restrictions lasted well into the evening while contractors responded to clean up the spill area.

Wells praised Emmaus and Woodlawn firefighters, PennDOT crews and heavy duty wrecker equipment and personnel from Hauser Trucking, for their response in getting the roadway passable to relieve the congestion.