Efrain Martinez-Vargas, Cortney Hurry Death and Obituary – Two separate and tragic crashes on Interstate 80 in Montour County, Pennsylvania, on Friday, claimed the lives of two individuals, Efrain Martinez-Vargas, 48, of Moosic, and Cortney Hurry, 22, of Lewisburg. The incidents, which occurred in the early hours and later that morning, were caused by hazardous road conditions, specifically snow squalls, which led to dangerous black ice and a series of collisions.
The first crash occurred at approximately 2:40 a.m. near Danville, when a pileup involving sixteen vehicles took place on the westbound lanes of Interstate 80. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, snow squalls had created treacherous conditions on the road, including black ice. A tractor-trailer, which had skidded on the icy surface, collided with a box truck. This initial crash triggered a chain reaction, involving multiple vehicles and creating a devastating pileup. Tragically, Efrain Martinez-Vargas was fatally injured in the incident. Two other individuals sustained serious injuries in the crash.
Images from the Valley Township Volunteer Fire Department depicted the harrowing scene, showing severely mangled vehicles, some of which had sustained fire damage. The sight of the wreckage underscored the severity of the collision, as emergency responders worked to clear the scene. The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 were temporarily closed while first responders dealt with the aftermath of the pileup. Traffic was initially rerouted at the Danville exit to allow for emergency response and investigation.
The tragedy did not end with the first crash, as a second fatal accident occurred later that same morning. Around 10:00 a.m., another collision took place near mile marker 224, just west of the Buckhorn exit. In this second crash, Cortney Hurry, a 22-year-old woman from Lewisburg, was involved in a fatal incident. According to State Police reports, Hurry’s vehicle collided with the rear of a flatbed tractor-trailer, and the injuries she sustained in the crash proved to be fatal. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, though it is believed that the icy road conditions played a significant role, as similar hazardous conditions were reported at the time.
In an interview with Nexstar’s WBRE/WYOU, Doreen Clarke, whose son was involved in the earlier 16-vehicle pileup, described the dangerous driving conditions. She recounted that her son, a truck driver, had noted that the roads were icy and that another driver behind him was speeding. This driver struck him, causing a series of collisions that worsened the situation. Her son was able to jump out of his truck to avoid further injury, narrowly escaping as another truck approached. Clarke’s recount underscores the unpredictable nature of the weather and the dangers it posed to drivers on the road that day.
The Pennsylvania State Police continue to investigate both crashes to determine the exact causes and whether other factors, such as speeding or driver error, contributed to the accidents. The westbound lanes of Interstate 80 have since been reopened to traffic. As the investigations continue, the communities of Moosic and Lewisburg mourn the loss of Martinez-Vargas and Hurry, and the broader public is reminded of the dangers that winter weather can pose to those traveling on the roads.
This tragic sequence of events serves as a somber reminder of the importance of safe driving practices, especially during adverse weather conditions.