Scranton, PA – One Hospitalized After Tractor-Trailer and Car Collide on I-81 Southbound

Scranton, PA (November, 2026) – At about 11 p.m. on November 3, officials said, a tractor-trailer and a car collided on I-81 Southbound around mile marker 185 in Lackawanna County.

One person was transported to a hospital. The cause of the crash was not known, and the first report gave no further details about the person taken to the hospital.

The interstate was shut down at the time of the first report, and how long it would stay closed was unknown.

This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.

Who May Be Responsible After a Tractor-Trailer Crash in Pennsylvania

NHTSA reported that 5,340 people died in crashes involving large trucks in 2024, and 70 percent of them (3,753) were occupants of other vehicles. When a tractor-trailer and a car collide, fault can reach well beyond the person behind the wheel.

No cause has been reported for this crash, so no one’s fault is established. Here is how responsibility can be divided in a tractor-trailer and car collision, depending on what the evidence shows:

• The truck driver: Speeding, distraction, fatigue, or following too closely can make the driver responsible.
• The carrier: The company can answer for a driver working on its behalf, and for its own choices on hiring, training, scheduling, and maintenance.
• The cargo loader: Freight that was loaded or secured badly can shift and cause a crash.
• A maintenance shop or parts maker: Failed brakes, tires, or other parts can point to the shop that serviced them or the company that made them.
• Shared fault: Fault can be shared. In Pennsylvania, recovery is barred only when your share is above 50%, and any lower share reduces the award (42 Pa.C.S. 7102).

Driver logs, inspection records, and black box (ECM) data can show which of these applies. Those records sit with the carrier, which is why requesting them early matters.

Get medical care that same day, because a concussion or internal injury can surface hours later. Pennsylvania allows two years from the crash, so for a November 3, 2026 crash the deadline is November 3, 2028 (42 Pa.C.S. 5524).

Contact Our Scranton Injury Lawyers at Scartelli Olszewski

Scartelli Olszewski, P.C. is a Scranton personal injury firm, founded in 2001, serving Lackawanna County and across Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Our car accident attorneys in Scranton and Scranton truck accident lawyers take on claims from passenger-vehicle and commercial-truck crashes, including cases with unclear fault.

We investigate the crash, identify every insurance policy that could apply, and build the claim around your medical care, lost income, and future needs.

What sets Scartelli Olszewski apart in Scranton injury cases:

• $10,000,000 record verdict in Luzerne County
• 100+ years of combined trial experience, with hundreds of jury trials tried
• Led by Melissa A. Scartelli, Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
• Former District Attorney and Court of Common Pleas judge Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. on the team
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum members
• 4.7 Google rating across 39 client reviews, with no disciplinary history for any attorney
• Free consultation and no fee unless we win
• $2,200,000 tractor-trailer accident settlement
• $650,000 car accident settlement

Our Scranton office is at 411 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510. Call 570-346-2600 or send your details through our contact form, and a Scranton injury lawyer will go over your options with you.