James Stokes Obituary, Death: Victim identified in fatal four-vehicle crash on I-81 near Dauphin/Lebanon County line.
James Stokes Obituary, Death – State Police provided updated details on a fatal four-vehicle crash that occurred early Thursday morning on I-81 near the Dauphin and Lebanon County line. The incident, which took place before 2:30 a.m. on I-81 north in East Hanover Township at Mile Marker 84.8, resulted in the death of 27-year-old James Stokes from Cresco.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Jonestown, the crash began when a tractor-trailer rear-ended another tractor-trailer. The force of the collision caused the first tractor-trailer to jackknife across the highway. A vehicle carrying Stokes as a passenger then struck the rear of the second tractor-trailer. This impact pushed the second truck into the adjacent lane, where a fourth vehicle collided with it, causing that vehicle to catch fire.
Stokes was declared dead at the scene, while two other individuals involved in the crash were transported to Hershey Medical Center for medical evaluation. The State Police confirmed that their injuries were not considered life-threatening at the time.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with authorities asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or captured it on dash cam footage to come forward. Those with information are encouraged to contact the PSP Jonestown at (717)-865-2194.
The crash caused significant disruptions to traffic, with a portion of I-81 closed for much of the morning and part of the afternoon as emergency responders cleared the scene.
