NY Woman Dead, 8 Injured in Multiple Vehicle Crash on I-78 at Lehigh Street

A 51-year-old New York woman was killed and eight others were injured in a , according to state police at Fogelsville.

Linda Rooney, of Goshen, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Rooney and her two children were passengers in a car driven by her husband, Raymond, police said.

The collision occurred about 10:30 a.m. when a car driven by Michael Lugo, 19, of Philadelphia, pulled into the left lane of travel after fixing a flat tire in the center berm, and was struck from behind by the westbound car driven by Raymond Rooney, police said.

After the impact, Rooney's car spun and struck the left side of a car driven by Leah Faust, 18, and the left running board and fuel tank covers of a trailer driven by Glenn Pettus, 24, of Chase City, Va., police said. Faust suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Luke's University Hospital for treatment. Pettus was not injured, police said.

Rooney, his daughter Megan, 22, and a 15-year-old son suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to for treatment, police said. Goshen is in Orange County, N.Y. The town is south of Middletown.

Lugo and his four passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to severe and were taken to for treatment, police said.

Traffic was back up for miles on westbound I-78 after police closed the highway for about seven hours.

The accident is under investigation by state police, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Police ask that anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Trooper Michael J. Schultz at the Fogelsville barracks, 610-395-1438.

The , Allentown Police Department, Allentown EMS and Allentown Fire Department assisted.