Nails on I-76 damage at least 15 cars in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Several cars were damaged by nails on Interstate 76 in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.

Drivers told Action News they were traveling on the Schuylkill Expressway near Montgomery Drive when their tires suddenly popped.

“That was definitely the scariest place I’ve had car trouble,” said Nakoa Salna of Roxborough.

“I was on 76, so I couldn’t hit my brakes or swerve out of the way,” explained Salna. “So I went over it. After that, I noticed there were cars pulled on the side of the highway. And, I noticed my tire pressure was going down, so I joined them.”

Salna was one of several drivers stranded on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of I-76.

Pennsylvania State Police said around 5 p.m., a load of nails fell off a truck and spilled onto the highway. Police say as many as 15 cars were damaged.

Several lanes were closed while crews removed the damaged vehicles from the highway.

“This seems like a freak accident,” said AAA spokesperson Jana Tidwell.

Tidwell said they prioritize service calls from members stuck on major highways, like I-76.

“We sent a service truck out upon the first member call on I-76, but the calls kept coming,” Tidwell said. “We did have a handful of calls where our technician went out and he was changing tire after tire after tire.”

Tidwell said something people can take away from this situation – check to see if you have a spare in your car. She said many car manufacturers aren’t including a spare tire in their newer models.

Salna said that because she didn’t have a spare in her car, she had to wait for a tow truck.

“The tow truck driver did mention he would be looping back around to help other people,” Salna added.