According to state police, metal debris damaged over a dozen cars on Parkway East

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A huge piece of metal damaged more than a dozen cars on Parkway East Monday evening, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Many drivers had flat tires and had to wait hours for tow trucks to help them.

PennDOT told KDKA-TV that it appeared the object had somehow fallen from a vehicle carrying it.

“It felt like a big bump, like a tree trunk. And I thought, ‘Oh no.’ “The car didn’t give me any tire pressure,” said driver Kellie Person.

The person and his son, AJ, were stuck on the side of Parkway East near the Churchill exit due to what appeared to be a cast-iron storm sewer cover.

“I pulled up to the side of the road. When I stopped there were at least six cars in front of me. And there were probably six more behind me. I didn’t have any damage, but the rest of us were waiting for a tow. I’m one of the last people waiting for a tow truck.

KDKA-TV learned PennDOT was reduced to rubble. They found it near the fork in the road. It was heavy, about two and a half feet long, and it took three workers to remove it.

When a car hit it, it stopped moving. One car after another repeatedly crashed into the rubble. Almost everyone had flat tires.

“PennDOT said it was about six feet long. It was flat. I haven’t seen it before. “The PennDOT employee and police assumed it fell from a truck, but they don’t know,” Person said.

The silver lining for Person was that she and her son AJ were not injured.

“It’s crazy, but you know, no one was hurt. So in the end it’s okay. We’re fine. Everyone is safe. That’s the most important thing,” Person said.