Yahoo News 3 Children and 1 Adult Killed After Farm Tractor Rolls Over in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Police
Three children and a woman are dead after they were tossed from a farm tractor crash after it rolled over in Pennsylvania on Friday.
The Pennsylvania State Police said in a release just hours after the tragedy that it is "investigating" the collision, which took place around 11:00 a.m. local time in the 1100 block of Furnace Road in Lower Chanceford Township.
"An older-model farm tractor was pulling a flatbed, open utility trailer. Twelve individuals were riding in the trailer when the operator of the tractor traveled off the roadway and over an embankment, causing the tractor and trailer to roll, killing an adult woman and three juveniles," police said.
The PSP Troop J Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist Unit, Forensic Services Unit, and Criminal Investigation Unit arrived at the scene, along with the York County Coroner.
The male driver was taken to a nearby hospital and was in serious condition, PSP said in its release.
Three children were airlifted while the others were rushed to local hospitals via ambulance, ABC27 reports.
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Five children are in critical condition at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, a police representative told local NBC affiliate WGAL. The ages of the children vary from younger than one year old to 14.
Lt. Adam Reed said in a news conference captured by WGAL that there were 11 children and one woman riding in the trailer.
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"For reasons unknown at this time, the operator of the farm tractor lost control and the tractor traveled over an embankment where it then rolled. Everyone in the utility trailer was tossed from the utility trailer, and the end result was a number of fatalities and a number of serious injuries," Reed said.
He added that the four deceased individuals were "riding in the back of the utility trailer" when it crashed.
Their identities have not been publicly released.
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The reason the tractor was in the area with people in it is still being investigated, Reed said, adding that some of the victims are related but authorities aren't sure how many.
At the time of the release, the road was closed.
The Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
