A Salisbury Township man says he saw a "wrist-thick" wire hanging from the ceiling of the Lehigh tunnel just moments after police said a flying piece of conduit killed a truck driver.
Barry Anthony
Motorcycle salesman Barry J. Anthony said he had to drive around the low-hanging wire on his way home from work Wednesday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike's northeast extension.
He was stunned Thursday when he learned a fallen piece of conduit flew through the windshield of trucker Howard M. Sexton, according to state police. The pipe killed the 70-year-old from East Greenwich Township in southern New Jersey.
Anthony reported the crash at 6:10 p.m. The incident was at 6:03 p.m., police said.
"If I had left work five minutes early, it could have been me," Anthony said.
The southbound tunnel for the northeast extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike remains closed indefinitely, according to turnpike spokeswoman Kathleen Walter. All north and south traffic is moving through the northbound tunnel.
Anthony said he saw a car stopped halfway through the tunnel, then saw the car back up.
"As I got closer I could see a cable the size of my wrist hanging down from the ceiling and was in his lane," Anthony said. "The other half was dangling against the wall on the left lane allowing me to pass by."
He said he passed a stopped tractor-trailer on his way out of the tunnel. He saw people getting out of a pickup truck and an SUV near there, but didn't see any fallen conduit anywhere.
Anthony said he may have been the first person to call in the incident, or was at least among the first, because the 911 operator had a hard time believing what he told her.
The seriousness of the situation didn't occur to him until he saw news reports about Sexton's death Thursday.
"Prayers for all involved," Anthony said.
He said he drives through the tunnel twice a day and sees lots of missing tiles and water seeping through the walls.
"It's getting older," he said. "You can tell when something's looking shabby."
Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.