SCOTT TOWNSHIP, PA — Five women between the ages of 19 and 71 died Tuesday in a horrific accident on I-81 northbound in Scott Township, Lackawanna County.

Four pedestrians were struck, three fatally. Two passengers also died.

The accident started at 5:15 p.m. on January 16, when a 2022 Honda Odyssey, occupied by a female driver and three female passengers, lost control and collided with a concrete divider on the west berm, according to the Pennsylvania State Police Dunmore. The impact left the Odyssey disabled in the left lane. 

Following the crash, an Audi A6, carrying two relatives of the Odyssey occupants, immediately stopped on the right shoulder. The occupants of the Audi crossed both travel lanes to speak with those in the Odyssey, who were standing in the left lane.

A northbound tractor-trailer approached the disabled Odyssey and collided with its driver side. The truck tractor and Odyssey continued to travel north until coming to a final rest on the west shoulder, the police said.

Two people inside the Odyssey at the time of impact also suffered fatal injuries. 

The police identified the following people, all women, as dead at the scene: Harvrist Zebari, 42, Endwell, NY; Fatma Ahmed, 71, Binghamton, NY; Shahzinaz Mizouri, 56, Vestal, NY; Aleen Ameen, 19, Johnson City, NY; and Berivan Zebara, 43, Johnson City, NY. 

The man who was operating the Audi sedan, Parjan Ameen of Johnson City, sustained moderate injuries, police said, The operator of the truck tractor suffered minor injuries. 

Interstate 81 northbound was closed for about four hours to facilitate the emergency response and investigation. The Pennsylvania State Police is investigating the contributing factors of the crash.