The weekend pileup, which occurred during a 'freak' whiteout in rural Pennsylvania, claimed the life of a Bridgewater woman. Watch video
The investigation into Saturday's massive 64-vehicle pileup in Pennsylvania, in which a Bridgewater woman was killed, will take weeks and possibly up to a month, an accident reconstruction expert said Monday.
Greg Sullenberger of Crashteams, Inc., based in western Pennsylvania, said the crash scene on westbound Interstate 78 in rural Lebanon County is "a large and complicated puzzle" that needs to be analyzed one vehicle at a time.
According to Sullenberger, investigators will try to match paint scrapes and impact points to determine which vehicles "interacted" with others. In addition, they will download information from air bag modules that will provide information on a vehicle's speed, steering and braking at the time of deployment. Tractor-trailer trucks have similar modules, he said.
Pennsylvania State Police said a dozen commercial vehicles were involved in the pileup, in which three were killed and 73 were injured.
Francisca V. Pear, 54, of Bridgewater, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Investigators also will interview witnesses, although Sullenberger said physical evidence is more reliable.
"It's hard to recall fine details when you're involved in something traumatic," he said.
The accidents occurred during a "freak" whiteout snowstorm at 9:28 a.m., said state Trooper Justin Summa.
Besides Pear, Kenneth J. Lesko of Bethpage, N.Y., and Alfred D. Kinnick of Limestone, Tenn., were declared dead at the scene.
A woman at Pear's home in Bridgewater declined to comment.
The 73 people who were injured were taken to 11 hospitals, state police said.
The highway, which was shut down in both directions Saturday, reopened Sunday morning.
Troopers from nine barracks or units responded to the crash, which unfolded during a stretch of bitterly cold weather. Firefighters from 14 departments, seven EMS agencies, four medical helicopters and emergency management personnel also were on the scene to untangle the wreckage.
Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.